


A Study in Observing Others

by wander_and_wonder



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Getting Together, Playing with POVs, Pre-Relationship, Protective JT Tarmel, Protective Malcolm Bright, Swearing, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28794441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wander_and_wonder/pseuds/wander_and_wonder
Summary: Important chapters in other people’s lives unfold in front of us, signs of the journey lingering just underneath what we can observe.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright & Ainsley Whitly, Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 35
Kudos: 83





	1. Ainsley & JT

**Author's Note:**

> Season 2 premier hadn’t happened when I began writing this. As such, I’ve ignored the whole Endicott saga. So maybe a bit AU at this point?

Sometimes her brother was just weird. Between his natural awkwardness, intellect, and trauma, he’d always been out-of-step with his own peers and, once she was old enough, her friends. Sure, he was charming when he wanted to be… most of her friends had drunkenly attempted to flirt with him at least once when he visited her at college; but, in general, he moved to his own beat and she admired that. Then, he’d have a day like this one… 

Ainsley took a sip of coffee as they walked around the park. _It’s not his PTSD, but he’s not ok._ She watched as he fiddled with his jacket sleeves, eyes scanning the horizon constantly as they walked. He looked like he was about to jump out of his own skin. His face was animated, cheery, as he spoke, but pale with dark rings under his eyes. All of this was normal when his PTSD was on high alert and anxiety flooding his veins. She cocked her head slightly as he spoke, his hands gesturing. 

Ainsley’s journalistic instincts were screaming. Paired with a lifetime’s experience with her brother’s eccentricities, she looked past his normal mannerisms, trying to identify what was bothering her. 

“Wait, you’re looking for someone in particular,” Ainsley stopped in her tracks, cutting her brother off.

Malcolm scrunched his shoulders up guiltily, eyes widening. Amusement tickled down her spine as he tried to stutter a denial. _He’s such a goober sometimes._

“Mal, give it up,” She gently poked him on the arm, “I caught you fair and square. You suggested coffee and a walk, being all specific about the time. You’ve been setting the pace, direction, everything. We’re here for a reason.” She smiled brightly, anticipation coiling in her chest, “Give. It. Up.” 

Blue eyes swept over her demeaner. Something in him seemed to shift as his energy perked up and he leaned forward conspiratorially, reminding Ainsley of when they used to play tricks on their nanny, “Homicide reached out to Gil and requested Dani on an undercover assignment. The Homicide Chief found out about my FBI track record and blocked me from consulting.” 

Ainsley felt true annoyance prickle her skin. It must have showed because Malcolm hurried to continue, “Gil didn’t take over the case like he normally would have because there’s something personal about it. I don’t know anything specific. Gil and JT are helping but being really tight lipped.” 

Ainsley rolled her eyes affectionately, “And you’re busting your way in?” 

Malcolm grinned, dimples showing, even as he continued scanning the horizon. Ainsley considered him for a second, “That doesn’t explain why you’re so nervous.” _Angering Gil wouldn’t make him this edgy._

Malcolm looked over at her startled. He seemed surprised she picked up on it. Ainsley squinted her eyes at him, traces of exasperation coloring her voice, “I’m both your sister and good at my job. There is more to the story. Dish.” 

He sighed and began walking again, purpose in his movements, “She’s undercover. They won’t let me help.” 

Ainsley scanned him up and down, thinking it through. He provided no new information but his voice seemed heavier this time, layered with meaning and frustration. 

She took another sip of coffee, letting the burning sensation and bitterness ground her thoughts. She studied his tension. _Maybe he’s nervous for her?_ Nothing he’d said previously alluded to the idea that Detective Powell wasn’t capable in her job. Granted, he always seemed a little guarded when she came up. 

_Maybe he --_

A small gasp escaped her lips as she stumbled sideways to avoid her brother. Curiosity turned into distracted annoyance as some of her coffee sloshed out and onto her hand. Flicking her wrist, she glared at her brother. 

Malcolm stood silently, staring across the street, muscles tight and stiff. Ainsley followed his line of sight, looking for a member of Gil’s team. Nothing jumping out at her, and, anxious she might miss the action, she put a hand on his arm, about to ask where they were when she saw it. 

It took a moment to recognize her. 

Across the street, Detective Powell stood smiling. Her energy practically radiated a come-hither aura that naturally drew some interested looks from a few passing men and women. 

The thrill of intrigue swept over her. Ainsley lifted a single eyebrow, eyes darting from her brother to the detective. 

She felt her brother jerk back slightly as Detective Powell, clad in the latest yoga gear, laid her hand suggestively against a man’s chest. 

_I wonder if he’s part of the case or she’s off duty?_

About to ask, a shocked giggle erupted as her brother took off, walking directly for his teammate. 

Adrenaline spiked as Ainsley caught up quickly, determined to help. They only had minutes before they’d be in earshot. _If she’s here because of the case, she has to have backup right?_ Ainsley scanned around them as they approached the street. An old city works truck at the other end of the block caught her eye. She’d seen others like it doing research for stories. 

_Ten to one that’s the back up. Oh my god, this is great._ “Mal, what’s the plan here?”

“Absolutely no clue.” 

Her brother voice was firm, darker than she anticipated. She bit her lip. _This is going to be epic._

\------------------

_It smells bad. I mean, a twelve-foot tent of sweating guys in the middle of Iraq smells worse, but this sucks._ JT hated van work. He’d had to pull van duty a lot when he was a junior detective. Once Gil grabbed him, he’d hoped this part of the job was done. _And, swear to god, if Jim doesn’t stop tapping his pen…_ JT let the thought trail off as he leveled his most menacing glare at the homicide detective next to him, eyes meaningfully darting to the offending pen where Jim was tapping it against one of the many surveillance monitors. 

Gil sighed behind him, somehow warning him and offering solidarity all at once. JT ran a hand over his head and down his face. _Boss said get along._

He was trying hard to be supportive. The homicide chief was a good friend to Gil, had been for years. Made a point to watch out for him when Jackie had died. Now Gil was returning the favor. The best friend to the Chief’s daughter was dead. Gil made sure they were involved from the beginning. Even tolerating the condition that Bright be off the case, which usually he had no time for. _Boss wants to help, and Dani is perfect for this._

Something wasn’t settling right though. JT scanned the monitors. They had eyes on every room, entry way, and exit, but something just… didn’t feel right. The hairs on the back of his neck hadn’t stopped standing since he’d seen the suspect. Not used to such an immediate reaction, JT leaned forward a bit, arms resting on his knees, hands clasped pensively, searching hard for what his gut had realized but his mind had not. 

_Dani’s in the lion’s den. Find it._

JT watched as the women moved into their final poses. Dani had been coming once a day for three weeks now and JT was learning rhythm of the yoga poses by sight, even if he had no idea what the names were. Tally loved yoga, and JT was begrudgingly starting to see its appeal. His eyes tracked Carl, the teacher and suspect, as he moved across the room, correcting poses, hands lingering longer than need be. _Jackass. I hope Tally’s instructor doesn’t do this - practically sexual harassment._

JT instinctually looked at Gil. _Thoroughly unamused._ Righteous satisfaction coursed in his veins as he looked over at Jim to finalize the group’s judgement of Carl. JT’s hands tightened to fists as Jim stared at the women, a small smirk on his face. Feeling JT’s eyes on him, Jim looked over to share his enjoyment. 

_Mother fucker..._ Anger melted to smug satisfaction as Jim startled slightly, face paling. Clearing his throat quietly, Jim started flipping through the cameras, bringing the ones on the studio’s entrances and exits onto the larger, central monitor and moving the focus off the women. 

Check for threats complete, the monitor flicked back to the class as everyone began rolling up their yoga mats. Tension swept the van as Carl approached Dani. 

“Turn up audio,” Gil commanded. 

Jim reached over, turning up the dial. The staticky voice of the suspect echoed around the confines of the small space, “Kora, your form is…” Carl’ eyes swept over Dani’s body “impeccable.” 

JT rolled his eyes. _Subtle._

Annoyance turned to amusement when Dani, as Kora, replied, “And your teaching is…” She lowered her eyes to peer at Carl through her eyelashes, “something else.” JT smirked as Jim snorted beside him.

Dani sighed a bit, not quite dramatically but just enough to spark an inquiry. Sure enough, the perp moved closer, hand gently clasping her shoulder, “Everything ok?” 

A phrase his pops used to say laughed across JT’s mind. _Playing you like a fiddle, fool._

Dani smiled genuinely but sadly, “Just some work issues. Nothing to be concerned about.” 

At that, JT watched Carl’s stance shift, his weight bouncing subtly from foot to foot as he moved even closer to Dani and fully into her space. It forced her to look up to keep eye contact, and only the top of his head was visible to the camera they had threaded through the vent of the studio. 

_Either a subtle power move or… he’s gonna try and kiss her?_ Half of JT’s lip rose in a confused grimace. On one hand, standing in a suspect’s space so they have to look up is a pretty good interrogation tactic. Made the suspect feel like a child looking up at an adult. On the other hand… 

_Don’t kiss her man._ Dani had full permission to use self-defense if Carl touched her and she felt threatened, but JT also knew Dani would try and play it off before resorting to blowing her cover. Much like when Carl had adjusted Dani’s pose earlier in the hour, leaning in for full body contact when he had, JT felt disgusted at Dani being put in that position. 

JT glanced at Gil again looking for his read. 

Gil’s face was calm, a blank slate. But his eyes were hard, never wavering from the monitor tracking Dani. Satisfaction settled in his gut. He had a good boss and he knew it. JT went back to watching the monitor, embracing his repulsion as a small token of solidarity for his partner. 

Carl, voice laced with concern, offered comfortingly, “You’re a stylist, right? Upper East Side sort of clients?” He continued on, speaking over her response, “They can be frustrating to work with. Unappreciative of people like us. If you ever want to get coffee and tell me about them…” Carl lifted his hands like he was surrendering something, “No pressure and fully confidential of course.” 

Gil sat up straight as the three men glanced at each other excited. All the potential vics showed credit card payments at the studio and the coffee shop next door. Security camera from a bank across the street showed them walking in with Carl. The only connection they could find so far, JT felt the excitement of a breakthrough hovering just out of reach. 

“You wouldn’t have time now, would you?” Dani asked, hesitancy in her voice adding an air of vulnerability. 

“Sure. The coffee next store is great.” 

Dani smiled, a fond hand reaching out to squeeze Carl’s arm, “Wonderful.” She turned with him following, moving quickly out of frame. 

“Keep eyes on her,” Gil warned as JT and Jim adjusted switches and dials, searching for an angle that would show the pair. 

Finding them as they walked the hallway to the studio’s exit, Jim nodded, completely focused on the task at hand, “Got her. Switching now.”

Jim switched to the cameras on the coffee shop. One grabbed the external view of the entrance at a wide angle, giving them a good read of the surrounding street so they could spot any potential partners Carl might have. The other was in the shop, giving them a clear view of the floor.

“Has she activated the watch?” Gil asked. 

Jim shook his head, “No. Probably waiting till they actually get coffee. I warned her the recording time was limited and sensitive to ambient noises. Won’t work on the street. She needs to sit next to him and keep her hands on top of the table.” 

They knew this; it was the third time Jim had explained it. The triple questioning about the device was the only sign Gil was giving off he was nervous. 

“Boss?” 

“Something doesn’t feel right.” 

JT hummed his agreement, leaning forward again in his chair, as though the act would allow him some sort of new perspective. JT’s spine straightened abruptly as Carl came to a stop right in front of the coffee shop. 

Jim waved a hand towards the monitor frustrated, “He’s hesitating. What spooked him?” 

Gil shook his head, “Give her a second to adjust.” Sure enough, they watched as Dani seemed to calm his nerves. JT raised an eyebrow when she touched his chest. _Wonder what she’s saying?_

“Oh god.”

JT and Jim swirled to face Gil at the whispered expletive. His eyes were trained on the monitors, a hand reaching up to stroke his goatee in nervousness. 

JT’s hand went to his holster and he noticed Jim’s do the same, “Gil?” Hard and clipped, JT tried to snap him out of it, “What do you see?” 

Gil closed his eyes, shaking his head. Waving his hands for them to stand down, Gil simply muttered an utterly exasperated, “Kid.” 

Immediately, JT scanned the monitors, ignoring Jim’s demands for an explanation. Bright and his sister where huddled behind the minivan right next to Dani and Carl watching. 

At once morbidly curious and horrified, JT could feel the blood drain from his face, “What’s he doing?” 

Jim, who had met Bright once, finally spotted the profiler, “What’s your consultant doing here? I thought he was told he wasn’t on the case?” 

Gil shifted in his seat, a mix of anger and surprise written across his face, “Absolutely no clue.” 

_Son of a…_

\----------------------------

Whatever Detective Powell was saying seemed to be working. _Name’s…Dani?_

Ainsley tried hard not to laugh as her brother continued to stalk forward, fluid and hard in his movements all at once. He was radiating even more of that darker energy the closer they got instead of the gloomier or manic countenances she would have anticipated. She felt an odd giddiness grow in response. Ainsley studied the detective’s face as they neared. Her eyes kept subtly shifting towards the coffee shop. _She wants them inside._

Ainsley’s hand reached out quickly, grabbing her brother’s wrist. He looked at her in surprise, reluctantly allowing her to pull him behind a car only 30 feet away. “Let them go inside,” at his furrowed brow she rolled her eyes, “Get over yourself and actually look already.” 

Her brother did as she asked, his eyes sweeping over the chatting couple, drinking in details he’d ignored. They simultaneously ducked a little further down when the man’s gaze swept the street. Her instincts pricked again, and she did the same. _He’s looking for something? Someone?_ She finished her scan of the environment on her brother’s face. His jaw was set and shoulders stiff. He was also sweeping the street, eyes lingering on the maintenance van she had seen earlier. _He’s really upset._ Unsure if it was about the case or the couple, Ainsley shifted her focus back to Dani. 

Whatever she said worked, and the two yogis moved into the coffee shop, chatting comfortably as they waited in line. Ainsley felt her brother brush by her as he turned to follow. Quickly trying to catch up while looking nonchalant, Ainsley’s teeth ground down. _He’s going to blow the scoop._

“Malcolm!” An angry whisper tore from her lips as he opened to door to the shop. This time her hand squeezed hard on his wrist, her nails digging into the shirt. The small prick of pain seemed to jolt him out of his single-minded desire to get to his teammate. “I’m all for the fun of drama, but there’s a story here.” 

Her brother shot her a look, even and considered. She faltered slightly, a small whisper of tension going down her spine. She wasn’t afraid; she’d never been afraid of her brother a day in her life. The darker energy radiating from him increased even more. With a small jolt, Ainsley realized she’d felt this weird force from him before – when Malcolm found out a guy spiked her drink in college. She’d been fine; a friend spotted it and grabbed her drink before she could take a sip. When Malcolm found out though...

_This isn’t about being left out of the case. He’s really not ok with this._

Ainsley felt determination flood every cell in her body. _He needs me._ She jerked her head slightly in agreement, the two turning in unison towards the coffee counter. 

Malcolm’s body shifted suddenly, relaxed and casual. He reached over, grabbing the coffee from earlier this morning from her hands, and simply threw it the garbage next to the door. Placing his hands in his pockets, a cheery smile took over his face, “Let me buy you coffee, Ains.” 

“Non-fat mocha latte,” Ainsley smiled, equally at ease. 

They approached the counter just as Dani turned, coffee in hand. Laughter bubbled inside Ainsley as her brother stilled and the detective’s eyes widened, quickly turning calculating as she quickly tried to assess the best course of action. 

Ainsley ignored the silent conversation that seemed to be happening between Dani and her brother, focusing instead on the very attractive man in front of her. He was speaking to the yoga clad detective earnestly, grabbing his own coffee from the barista. Ainsley could tell the exact moment the man realized Dani was only partially listening to him. 

A flicker of true anger crossed his face. Her brother’s silent growl told her he’d seen the same. Distaste swept through her as the man grabbed Dani by her arm, squeezing hard. The detective grimaced slightly before quickly falling back into more neutral lines. 

Malcolm surged forward just as Dani tripped, her coffee spilling down the front of Malcolm’s suit. 

The entire coffee shop seemed to pause for a second in reaction. 

“Oh my gosh, Sir! I am so, so, so sorry!” Dani turned to the coffee counter grabbing a handful of napkins, “Oh my gosh, I am such a klutz.” 

Malcolm blinked a little in shock, before rushing to play along, “I, uh, it’s ok. Shoot. I don’t think this is coming out.”

Dani looked up, properly horrified as she patted the napkins against Malcolm’s chest. Her brown eyes seemed wider, slightly misty, “Did I get any on you?” She waited for Ainsley’s choked no before continuing on, “My name is Kora. Kora Blake. I am happy to pay for dry cleaning or something.” 

Malcolm visibly shook off his surprise, and let his gaze sweep over the detective smoothly. Ainsley fought down a snort when Dani’s hands paused for a second, a small blush filling her face. She seemed a little taken aback by the look her brother was giving her. 

Drawing on years of etiquette training, Ainsley smiled, gracious and understanding, “Kora, accidents happen. My brother doesn’t mean to be rude,” She leveled a small reproach at Malcolm, “His name is Malcolm. I’m Ainsley. And you are?” She turned towards the man who was still clutching Dani’s arm tightly. Ainsley stuck out her hand, forcing him to choose to let go or be rude. He let go. 

“Carl Philips,” he replied, shaking her hand. 

“Pleased to meet you both,” Ainsley replied, angling her body slightly so Carl had to take a small step away from Dani in order to maintain a comfortable distance between them all. Delight welled up when he did exactly what she wanted. 

“Ms. Blake, please don’t concern yourself,” Malcolm’s voice dropped slightly, soothing like honey, “It’s practically my fault. I almost walked right into you. Of course,” his blue eyes shone, gem-like, “I have no idea how I missed you.” 

Ainsley hid her smirk. While the words were a little too obvious for her tastes, Malcolm somehow managed to make it sound sweet and earnest rather than sleezy, his manner screaming trustworthiness.

Blue eyes twinkled enticingly, “Please, let me buy you another cup of coffee.” 

At that, Carl’s spine straightened, the hand not holding the cup of coffee flexed. Her brother ignored him completely, all his attention focused on Dani. 

Ainsley considered his behavior, a little surprised he wasn’t using the opportunity to talk to Carl. _He’s doing this on purpose. Why?_ She rushed to try and think through what Malcolm’s end game was when Dani’s eyes narrowed slightly and a small smile lifted her lips for a second. Impressed she picked up the plan so fast, Ainsley’s watched carefully so she could be a part of whatever happened next. 

Dani face erupted in a full blush, her breath stuttering slightly. She began talking with her hands, like she’d been pushed off center by the offer, “Oh, thank you… Malcolm?” Her brother nodded in kind encouragement as she continued, “But I’m here with my friend, eh…” Dani took a deep breath, eyes widening slightly as though she’d forgotten his name. She looked at her companion, “Uh, Carl. I’m here with Carl.” She smiled prettily at both men. 

Carl’s face tightened with rage. Ainsley watched as his eyes darted over the details of wealth both her and Malcolm’s outfits showed. He blanched, then smirked at Malcolm’s ruined outfit. _He’s competitive. He’s making Carl think he has competition._

A movement caught Ainsley’s eye as a man, vaguely familiar, slid into a table in the far back. Wanting Malcolm to see him she turned towards her brother, “Malcolm, we need to run soon anyway. Perhaps you can make it up to Kora later?” She gestured towards the back restrooms, “And clean yourself up a little now?” 

Malcolm smiled genially, an air of promise around him, as he glanced to where she gestured. Only a slight tightening around his eyes acknowledged he’d seen the man. “Excellent idea Ains,” he turned back to ‘Kora’ smoothly, “I insist on making this up to you.” He reached in his wallet making sure Carl saw the American Express Centurion Credit Card that he almost never used and pulled out a business card. Passing it to Kora, he let his fingers brush against hers, lingering slightly. He turned to Carl, “Nice to meet you as well Kevin.” 

With that, both Ainsley and Malcolm turned towards the restrooms in the back of the coffee shop, allowing Ainsley to get a good look at the man trying to not-so-subtly glare her brother into an early grave. The lack of coffee, air of intensity, and overly large coat - likely hiding the fact he was carrying - named him another of Gil’s team. 

Malcolm darted into the hallway leading to the bathrooms. Feeling like a kid on Christmas, Ainsley peeked over his shoulder and around the corner as they watched Dani and Carl move towards the barista for another coffee. 

Carl veered at the last minute, catching her by surprise, “Kora, I forgot I have an appointment. Perhaps we can have dinner sometime together instead?” 

Dani charmingly looked taken aback, “I’d love that.” 

Ainsley smiled in triumph. _It worked!_ Glancing to revel in the victory with her brother, Malcolm’s demeanor caught her off guard. His countenance more reminiscent of having eaten something sour, he turned to Ainsley, “Let’s head out the back.” 

Leaving from the exit at the end of the hallway, Ainsley blinked at the sunlight suddenly streaming directly in her face. 

Malcolm tensed, grabbing her arm to stop her, his face sheepish. 

A man stood, framed by a graffitied stained alleyway wall, arms crossed. Wrapped in sun, it took her a second to make out his face.

Ainsley swore she could hear her brother’s gulp as she pursed her lips and smirked, “Hi Lieutenant Arroyo.”


	2. Gil

Jackie always loved how bold Malcolm could be; the two of them heading out for adventures regularly when he was stuck working overtime. They’d always wanted kids; it never happened, and it could be lonely being a police officer’s spouse – weird hours, a partner who dealt with the worst of what humans can do to each other, the low, constant hum of stress they’d never return. When Malcolm and Jackie hit it off all those years ago, Gil had been incredibly relieved but also grateful. Jackie’s spirit lent itself towards spontaneity, and she had found a ready partner in Malcolm. 

Gil fingered his wedding ring as he watched his kid and Ainsley file in behind JT and Jim. Malcolm caught the action, a reflexive ghost of a smile emerging on his face like it always did when he could tell Gil was thinking about Jackie. Malcolm’s head tilted slightly as he looked at him. _Probably wondering why I’m thinking of Jackie right now._

Gil purposefully looked at Daryl Haze sitting next to him. Yes, he was the Chief over homicide and deserved Malcolm’s professional respect. But he was also a friend. Someone who’d been there for him and Jackie throughout their entire marriage, Jackie’s diagnosis, and didn’t leave Gil’s side in the aftermath of her death. Even Malcolm didn’t know how far he’d fallen after. But Daryl did. 

_And now he needs me._ Gil knew Malcolm would never really do anything he thought would allow a killer to go free. But his kid was impulsive and could be a little self-centered at times. He was used to others dismissing him so, in self-defense, tended to dismiss others first. It was a habit Jackie had understood but worried about. One thing he wouldn’t allow is for that tendency to harm Daryl. 

Gil watched as Malcolm read his mannerisms, just as he knew he would. Satisfaction swept through him as Malcolm’s posture became less confrontational and ready to talk. Malcolm’s eyes softened, nodding a greeting to Daryl even though Daryl’s face remained stoic and impassive. 

Everyone settled, tension in the air as Daryl visibly deferred to him. Bright was his consultant. His team. Daryl wouldn’t interfere even though this was his case, trusting Gil to deal with this how he thought prudent. 

Again, Gil watched as the tension in Malcolm’s shoulders released slightly as he noted Daryl’s move. _He’s not who you think he is kid._

“Explain. Now,” Gil kept it clipped, simple. 

Ainsley in turn deferred to Malcolm, this being his territory. He took in the energy flowing through her veins and manifesting in her posture, the erectness of her spine, the dance in her eyes. _She’s having fun._

The thing was, Gil knew, the moment Daryl had requested Dani but asked for Bright to stay out of it, that he would only last a small time before forcing his way in. He knew it, like he knew the sun was going to rise. Dani knew it too. Pulling him aside as she prepared to go undercover. 

Daryl’s reasoning was solid even if he didn’t like it, and he knew he could have a candid conversation with the kid after he pushed his way in. He’d also trusted the fact that Malcolm would have the best interest of the case at heart at all times. _But to bring Ainsley in on it._

Disquiet and small seed of anger settled in his gut. Malcolm always had a bit of a blind spot for his little sister. But for Gil, something never settled quite right with her. When he had first met Malcolm, Jackie hadn’t been in the picture. He’d always chalked up the awkwardness with Ainsley as being a guy and she a young girl. But after Jackie had come into his life, she’d confessed she felt the same way. _I can’t put my finger on it. Just be careful with her, hun._ Jackie had given him the warning after spending the day with both Malcolm and Ainsley – one of the few times she had come with them on an adventure. Intuitive and prone to giving people the benefit of the doubt, he’d taken his wife’s out of character cautioning to heart. 

Gil watched as Malcolm, eyes shining, put on his most earnest face, “Ainsley and I have coffee all the time walking the Battery. You’ve seen us there when I first came back to New York. I saw Dani, she threw coffee on me, I played along, and now we’re here.” 

“Hide behind vans often you two?” Gil was giving him no room for such a poor story. _Oops? That’s what you’re going with? Oops, hi Dani?_

Malcolm shook his head, “Of course not. We saw Dani unexpectedly, and I wasn’t sure if she was on a date or undercover. I simply wanted to make sure she was ok.”

A flare of annoyance rankled Gil, “So you hit on your teammate who you knew was undercover and asked her out? We have the exchange on tape.” Gil’s voice dropped to the same tone he’d used when Bright was a teenager, “You could have blown the whole operation and put Dani in danger.” 

A flash of true anger sparked in Malcolm’s face before his eyes shuttered. Gil leaned back a little, considering. He hadn’t expected that reaction. 

“I would never purposefully put Dani in jeopardy, but you all did.” Malcolm’s voice cut hard. Ainsley and Gil both winced in reaction. They knew that tone. _He’s about to be stupid._

Malcolm continued, clipped with a brush of arrogance coloring his words, “Carl Philips. No domestic violence calls but he enjoys hurting women. He’ll have hurt almost every woman he’s been in a relationship with in different ways. Extremely possessive, controlling, and competitive. Intense feelings of inadequacy and fear he tries to cover up.”

“Getting that from how he bought coffee is a bit much even for you, bro,” JT interjected for the first time, letting his annoyance get out, “If you knew he liked to hurt women, why put Dani in the cross hairs?” 

Again, anger pooled into Bright’s eyes, this time staying. His muscles stilled. Both Ainsley and Gil shared a quick look; the others didn’t realize they were officially walking on thin ice. Impulsive, yes. Wrong to do what he did, of course. Passionate and off-book, always. Mercurial, at times. But he was normally slow to anger in a meaningful sense. Something was getting to him in a way Gil wasn’t understanding, and a truly angry Malcolm was a wild card no one wanted right now. 

Ainsley jumped in to mitigate the danger, “You should be thanking him or is getting - Kora – on a date with Carl not the objective? Because I know the energy she was putting out; she was on the prowl and the girl’s got it.”

The others reacted as Ainsley knew they would. Jim and JT jumped into the fray, focusing on the manner in which her brother accomplished the goal rather than the result, but it was Malcolm’s reaction she wanted. His entire body recoiled in protest at her words, “She doesn’t actually want to go on a date with him, Ains.”

With her brother distracted from his angst at the moment, Ainsley cocked an eyebrow at Gil. 

_Telling me to move this along I suppose._

His lips thinned, still annoyed with how she was trying to manipulate the situation – particularly since she was being so successful at it. 

Raising his hand, JT and Jim went silent as Malcolm turned to face him more directly. 

“Chief Haze’s concern with your participation was a good one. The assigned prosecutor is Jack Williams.”

Malcolm blanched as Ainsley’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Malcolm explained, “He was a junior prosecutor on the team assigned to Dr. Whitly’s case. He’s now a senior prosecutor. He gives Major Crimes a difficult time when he’s assigned to our caseload.” 

Gil continued on, cutting off Ainsley’s reply, “Your unplanned interjection won’t help matters. We’ll discuss that at length later. For now, the case is too important to squander the opportunity. Dani’s been getting Carl’s interest and talking to the women at the club for three weeks. She’s gotten us some leads but nothing solid. We need to get Bright officially on the undercover op so Williams can’t give us a hard time about what happened this morning. Bright, I want a plan for breaking Carl by the end of the day. Break him hard. Ainsley, JT will show you out.” 

“Yeah, no,” Ainsley scoffed, “Unless you want this whole day chronicled in the papers tomorrow, I’m added as an embedded journalist.” 

Gil would have found Malcolm’s jaw literally dropping at her threat funny if the situation wasn’t so serious. 

Ainsley scanned her brother’s shock, as well as JT and Jim’s frustrated nervousness, mildly pleased. When her gaze landed on the two senior officers’ utterly unimpressed faces though, her eyes flickered in surprise. It was the first sign of unease she’d exhibited since she’d gotten here. Daryl’s crossed arms and slight smirk told Gil he’d seen it too.

“You seriously think your anchors are going to risk their press credentials with the NYPD on the fact that your brother’s coworker got coffee?” Gil asked.

“You can’t do that!”

Gil could tell Ainsley regretted the statement as soon as it left her lips. 

Daryl jumped in, choosing to be the bad guy since Gil had an ongoing relationship with the Whitly’s, “We can. Easily. You’d be fired in a heartbeat,” Daryl added. “When it comes to who holds the cards here…” The ending to that statement hung in the air, even more powerful than if it had been said. 

Malcolm quickly tried to soothe the ruffled feathers, “I was able to prepare a preliminary profile after 30 seconds of meeting the guy and ended up moving the case along in about 5 minutes. Ainsley was pivotal to that. Something is up with this case. You two want a conviction even more than normal. It’s personal. Ainsley acts as an embedded journalist and agrees to write a profile, emphasizing the victims.” 

Ainsley’s jaw set and she quickly crossed her arms in defiance, “I’d rather be fired than stage a story.” 

Malcolm rolled his eyes slightly at her melodramatic response, “I never said that. Write the story, but the victims get a voice. They get their story told so the city of New York bares witness to their pain.” 

Ainsley paused, considering. A short jerk of her head signaling her acceptance of the proposal. 

_Gives Anita a voice. May help with a conviction. Williams will want to be even more of a pain with the two Whilty children involved, but if the case is high profile and sympathy is with the victims, that will help keep him reigned in a bit. I wouldn’t put it beyond her to paint us all in a horrible light though, if only to prove a point for losing out here. Would Bright be able to keep her from going after us?_

Gil leveled a considering look at Malcolm. _He’s playing us with the Anita angle, but if I drop it to Jessica that both Malcolm and Ainsley could impact a victim getting her story told…_ He shifted his gaze to Daryl. Years of friendship and partnership on the force heavy in the glance. He turned back to Malcolm making sure his kid could read his face. A single condition determined his next steps. _The team takes precedence over your sister’s feelings or story._

The widening of Malcolm’s eyes told Gil he understood the unspoken condition. A moment’s pause before replying signaled the seriousness of his consideration. The minute nod broke the tension. 

“Chief Haze, want to explain the case or should I?”

Daryl immediately nodded and began, as a wave of gratitude for the man’s trust hit Gil. Anyone else and the fallout from this morning would have been a major battle. Gil moved to lean against the file cabinet, arms crossed. He could tell Malcolm was splitting his attention between Haze and watching him. _Wants to understand why he’s so important to me probably._ He’d tell him over scotch after the pretty extensive calling out he planned to do for bringing a journalist into an active case. 

Daryl’s briefing style was different, focused only on primary facts. Malcolm would need to read his and JT’s notes for some of the more useful details for profiling they had learned to include over the past year. Gil had been printing out the electronic files as the team filed them to create a stack on his desk, anticipating Malcolm would need them after he did whatever random thing he was planning on. 

Daryl’s voice drew Gil from his thoughts, “The NYPD received a complaint from a law firm that tends to represent wealthier businesses within New York. One of their clients had money disappear from an account, and they believed it was identity theft. Initial account evaluation agreed but given the high-profile nature of the client, and the fact they went to the lawyers first, white collar did a deep dive. Suspicions started falling on the CEO’s daughter. Since they had already lawyered up, we never did get to question anyone directly in the family. We were filing a warrant for further investigation when the accounts closed and the family suddenly moved to live fulltime on their estate in the Caribbean.”

“Blackmail,” Bright both asked and declared. 

He nodded, “That was what white collar suspected. The lawyers provided enough of an explanation that legally we were pretty hamstrung. Case got put on a shelf.” 

“So, what happened?” Ainsley asked. All four detectives glanced at her annoyed at her interruption. Unphased, she focused intently on Chief Haze. 

“My daughter has a best friend,” At that Daryl paused, only a slight tremor of voice giving away his emotion. “Anita Pearson. She and my daughter met when they were four on the playground. They were inseparable for 21 years after that.”

“She was like a second daughter,” Malcolm commented, voice gentling. 

Daryl moved on quickly, “Anita told my daughter she was worried about her sister Elizabeth. Money was disappearing from a joint account they both used for grad school. Her parents didn’t know yet. Anita tried to talk to Elizabeth about it but her sister ‘acted weird about it.’” Daryl lifted his hands in quotes, “That was my daughter’s description.” 

“I, huh,” Daryl cleared his throat, “had often taught the girls rudimentary investigative tactics growing up to keep them amused.” 

Gil let a small, sad smile cross his face remembering all the times he had done that with Malcolm. 

“Anita conducted a pretty good pattern analysis and found some things she was concerned about,” a note of pride sounded in Daryl’s voice. “She emailed everything to me and asked if she could come over to talk it through. She usually had dinners with us at least once a week, sometimes more. She wanted to bring Elizabeth.”

“On her way to the house, there was a car crash. Both girls were killed on impact,” The heaviness in Daryl’s voice echoed around the room, a feeling of solemnity wrapping around the team like a shawl. 

“I used the file she sent me to open an investigation into the crash. Someone tampered with their car. Anita’s parents are fully cooperating. We got complete access to all their financial records, phone records, anything we need. Elizabeth had been taking odd amounts out at regular intervals, always cash, always small bills. That was the pattern Anita found.” 

Malcolm nodded, impressed, “She was a good investigator to see that.” 

Daryl’s shoulders rolled back slightly with pride, “She is - was.” 

“What connected it to the previous family?” 

“An accident really. The forensic accountant assigned to the case was the same one assigned to the identity theft investigation. It was the exact same pattern. He pulled up both files and compared transactions on a hunch. Both were young women, both started taking out odd amounts in cash and in small bills, both were wealthy, and both went to the same yoga studio and coffee shop regularly. When we reviewed security cameras, both were there with the same man.”

“Which lead us to Dani’s undercover job,” Gil jumped in. Knowing that the undercover aspect was on the forefront of Malcolm and Ainsley’s minds, Gil stood up straight from where he’d been leaning, “Until you are officially on the case and you,” he pointed to Ainsley, “sign the necessary paperwork, we’re done here.” 

He cut them both off when they started to protest, “You’ll learn more about what Dani’s up to when the paperwork is done. I suggest you move to it. Daryl, do you mind handling the embed paperwork and I’ll handle Bright’s? It’ll get done faster.” _He’ll get less pushback from the brass._

Daryl nodded, ushering Ainsley out the door. Jim followed his boss to help out. JT looked at Gil and Malcolm, eyebrow raising, “And by you filling out paperwork, you really mean I get to fill out paperwork and you’re going to yell at him?” 

Gil let his smirk speak for itself, biting down a chuckle at the look JT leveled at Bright. The two men walked out, JT demanding extra coffee for the extra paperwork Bright had just forced on him. 

A wave of fondness for his team hit him as he watched Bright follow JT, promising to find the best coffee in America not just New York. He shook his head, looking down for a second, wondering how Bright was going to fulfil the promise. Fondness turned to a small sense of worry. _Now we just need to get Dani out of there._


	3. Jessica

Normalcy. Very few would look at her life and deem it ‘normal’ at any point. 

It wasn’t tradition for children to eat with their parents until around 10 years old, so she ate in the playroom by herself. Her mother had her in formal wear for dinners starting the moment she joined them. She had a nanny and a driver assigned to her for her entire childhood. Private stylists, private tutors, boarding schools… She loved her mother dearly, but a normal relationship it was not. 

Jessica peered into her vanity mirror, remembering the words of her grandfather. _You have a spark Jessica. The Milton spark. The daring that resulted in our fortune. You must learn to harness it._

Her father had died when she was young. She barely remembered him, but could recite his extensive resume and accomplishments with ease. With no siblings, her grandfather had trained her hard as the heir apparent. She now helmed a massive fortune, a multi-million-dollar foundation, and continued to grow the Milton real-estate empire with a honed focus on emerging international markets. Most people, including her children, didn’t quite realize the extent to which she was not the normal socialite. 

_Normalcy._

In her youth, she had dared defy convention, buoyed by her grandfather’s confidence and secure in the knowledge of her place in the world. _Martin had been a defiance._

She had been just so… confident. 

Confident in their love for each other. Confident she could weather any storm. Confident he would be a good father. He had seemed so devoted to the concept of family. _And perhaps he was, in his own twisted way._

Her mother hated the match. She had blazed forward, deeming it snobbery. But her grandfather’s warnings and trainings had served her well. She was now incredibly grateful for the air tight prenuptial agreement she had gotten Martin to sign. He had never been able to get any access to any of the Milton empire. As such, it had remained off limits to police, investigators, and civil suits. 

Sure, Martin had gotten some money during the divorce, even while in prison. Some might consider it quite a bit of money. But it was pennies compared to what he could have gotten, and, ultimately, she had made the decision not to contest his claim. The divorce had gotten into the papers and she hadn’t wanted to drag it out in case Malcolm or Ainsley read the articles. Ultimately, in her own mind at least, she had allowed the terms of the settlement. 

She straightened her shoulders in the mirror. _And the Milton estate had only grown in the years since Martin’s arrest._

But as for her…

She had always hated normalcy, but now, everything in her craved the old security of her childhood. A security she desperately wished she could grant to her children, just as her mother and grandfather had done for her. _Friends, lovers, travel, a path not marked by pain…_

Both her children had the Milton spark. 

_Malcolm… So daring and analytical, I think he could love the complexities of our work if he’d paid attention. And Ainsley…_ Jessica smiled a little. _She could run the whole damn thing._

She let a very familiar wave a grief roll through her, closing her eyes until it dissipated. She cocked her head at Luisa’s knock on her bedroom door. 

“Ma’am, Lieutenant Arroyo, Detective Tarmel, Detective Peterson, and Chief Haze have arrived. Mr. Bright and Ms. Whitly accompanied them through the back entrance as well. I have them set up in the sitting room with the windows drawn, per your request. Ms. Blake will be arriving for your “styling” session momentarily,” Luisa walked into her vanity area, smiling slightly at Jessica’s reflection in the mirror. 

_Dear sweet Luisa._

Luisa and Adolpho. Two of the most loyal people she’d ever encountered. Never speaking a word about her and the children to any of the tabloids she knew had regularly sought them out for years. 

Luisa, who had endured a difficult childhood under the Soviet Union, was the epitome of discretion, taking the absolute craziness of their lives in stride.

“Thank you, Luisa. Please make sure our guests have refreshments; nonalcoholic since they are on duty,” She didn’t bother to remind Luisa they were to act as though they didn’t know Detective Powell when she arrived. Luisa wouldn’t fail in her duty. “I’ll be right down,” she added. 

As Luisa exited, Jessica nodded to herself in her mirror, confirming the reflection met the high standards of her mother as she always had. 

When Gil had called with his plan, she’d agreed readily. Jessica had meant what she said to that Dr. Coppenrath. Until Malcolm was ready to take on more responsibility for the Milton businesses and foundation, she would help with his cases. Including doing all she could to ensure Ainsley understood the importance… _no - the privilege - of being able to give those poor women a voice._

With that, Jessica Milton Whitly left to join her guests. 

\-----------------

She surveyed the room, filled with law enforcement and her children, with the ease of one used to hosting, underpinned by a thread of anxiety. No matter how hard she tried, a feeling that her world was about to collapse in on itself always needled at her when she interacted with law enforcement.

_But not with him._

She smiled gently at Gil, who’d smiled reassuringly back. She’d mentioned the feeling to him once years ago when her foundation raised money for the children of police officers killed in the line of duty - anonymously of course. He’d seen the unease she’d attempted to hide with the Commissioner and asked her privately if she was ok. Despite initial balking, she’d eventually confessed by the end of the fundraising initiative. _Dear sweet Gil._ Malcolm had no idea her frustration with his tendency to surround himself with law enforcement was a little more nuanced than her desire for him to move on from Martin. 

_Granted, it’s mostly Martin. Ok Jessica. Chin up._

A monied yet gracious smile stretched across her face as her son and daughter stepped forward to introduce the newcomers. 

“Ms. Whitly, thank you for having us in your home and assisting with the case,” Chief Haze stated. 

Jessica nodded immediately, compassion gentling her voice, though she kept it formal out of deference to the man’s professional role, “Of course, Chief Haze. I am happy to do my part to ensure the women have justice,” she glanced at Ainsley, “and that their memories live on in our community.” 

Ainsley pursed her lips slightly in response while Malcolm licked his lips, smothering a grin. He quickly glanced at Gil then schooled his face. 

“Besides, given my children’s participation, done with the utmost respect for process and procedure I’m sure,” Jessica’s voice dropped an octave, dripping with false sincerity, “I could do no less. In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say.” She gestured around her, “And apparently we need some pounds. Both my house and my other properties can be made available if you need to further high-end venues for the undercover work.” 

Gil nodded, politely, “Thank you Jessica. This house is perfect for our meetings with Dani. We’ve been doing it at the safehouse she’s using as her residence for right now. You remember the cover story?” 

Jessica hummed lightly, her voice taking on a melodic quality, “I am using the services of Ms. Blake to develop a fundraiser for one of my charities centered around a fashion and style auction.”

Gil nodded, pleased, “Carl Philips is the only commonality between the two families we’ve been able to find outside of the women fitting a similar profile. Dani has been playing two angles. One is that she can access the secrets of the wealthy, and the other is that she herself has secrets. She’s also been integrating herself with the other yoga studio patrons to see if any are likely candidates for being blackmailed. She’ll be coming from lunch with one of them now. Your assistance,” he nodded at Jessica, “allows us to meet with her daily for an extended period of time. It also plays another role.” With that, Gil leveled a rather curious look at Malcolm, causing Jessica to raise an eyebrow. 

Malcolm cleared his throat self-consciously, the action perking her interest further, “Carl Philips is highly insecure, very controlling, and fundamentally views women as less then. His yoga teaching is an attempt to control. He dictates their movement, he corrects their posture, he, in some way, even effects their health. Your notes mention his inappropriateness with the women,” he nodded to JT, “That is in part because as far as he is concerned, he has rights to them. Their bodies are his. Their money and secrets naturally follow.” 

Jessica’s stomach dropped, slightly nauseous at her son’s description. _Those poor women._

She studied her son as he continued, getting further into his full profile. She let her gaze wander across him, the confidence in which he carried himself, the assurance of his words. The others were listening closely. _He has their respect if not their affection._

To a certain extent, it reminded her of her mother’s work on various nonprofit boards. She had often demanded perfection, which won her little love, but she was a fierce believer and passionate about her causes. She used more than just her money to overcome obstacles. Highly intelligent, her mother often won respect, irrespective of her purse strings and titles. 

_Malcolm is no perfectionist, though he’s extremely diligent. I wonder how much he’s won his team’s affection? Gil obviously. But this JT and Dani… I wonder—_

“— so romantic competition will likely increase his need to get close to Dani and will start to erode his façade. He’ll move faster and get clumsy. It wouldn’t take him long to realize my mother is a client should he investigate. That will increase his frustration. When Dani and I go on our dates –”

“I’m sorry say that again dear?” A little laugh of delight rippled through her. “You and Detective Powell are what now?” Jessica cocked an eyebrow at her son. 

Malcolm licked his lips again, but instead of giving her a simple explanation, his eyes darted down for just a second and his mouth straightened. He fidgeted subtly, as though the perfectly tailored suit was uncomfortable. Jessica felt her internal mother alarm sound, and she didn’t even attempt to hide it. Her son’s chagrin when he recognized her interest made her eyes glisten eagerly. 

“I was saying that Carl Philips believes Kora Blake and I are likely to go on a date. Doing so, and making sure he knows when we do, will further bring his disfunction to the surface. He’ll get sloppy. However…”

Jessica cocked her head at her son’s somber tone, “He’s also more likely to let his anger rise to the surface. He’ll make mistakes, and we should be able to move the case along quickly, but I want to go over and confirm our surveillance and back up support to Dani personally before we go any further.” 

Malcolm’s spine straightened, and he looked like he was bracing for something. Jessica was taken aback at the immediate glares from Detective Tarmel and Peterson, as well as Chief Haze’s crossed arms. _That sounded reasonable to me._

“You’re a consultant. Consultants with the NYPD don’t help plan tactical operations,” Detective Peterson stated politely yet firmly. 

“Bro, I got Dani’s back,” Detective Tarmel said, looking thoroughly unimpressed. Jessica noted Chief Haze silence. He simply looked at Gil. 

“We’ve used Bright’s profiles to inform tactical considerations before. I would suggest,” Jessica’s eyebrows rose at Gil’s phrasing, “that Chief Haze allow Bright to work with JT and Jim to incorporate likely scenarios. Any changes run through Chief Haze as it’s his case,” Gil offered. Chief Haze nodded his agreement. 

_Ah, Gil’s not actually in charge of the case. That complicates things._

“Well,” Jessica clasped her hands together, deciding to help her son out by moving the conversation along, “everyone looks unhappy with that statement so it must be the perfect compromise.” She threw a charming smile at Gil, “Well done. The negotiation professors at Wesley would be impressed.” 

No one quite knew what to say to that, just as Jessica assumed they wouldn’t. Pleased, she transitioned the topic artfully, drawing on many years of working around politics and infighting at cocktail parties, “Anything else we should know prior to Ms. Blake arriving?” 

“We have been trailing Carl Philips since his interactions with the victims came to light. He’s never followed Dani to any of her client sites; however, he has rummaged through her purse several times at the yoga studio,” Gil explained. 

Jessica turned up her nose Gil’s statement. _Rummaging through a woman’s purse. Of all the nerve._

Gil continued on, “He went through her phone contacts the first time and some of the profiles of fake clients. He tried to access her emails but they required a thumb print.”

“Good, that will intrigue him,” Malcolm interjected, nodding thoughtfully. 

“After getting a couple names of clients, an IP address traced to Carl’s apartment accessed the fake websites of several of those high-end clients that evening. The second time, he accessed her text messages. Again, we’d filled the burner phone with fake messages and he seemed to buy it. Cyber assessed he spent more time on any texts with a male name. All that to say,” Gil turned to Jessica, “We don’t believe he’s a threat to any of her clients but surveillance isn’t out of the question.” Gil glanced at Malcolm, making Jessica’s eyes narrow in suspicion, “We would feel better if we increased security at the house.” 

A coil of territoriality curled in her chest. Martin had defiled this home. Her grandfather’s pride and joy. The NYPD defiled it again in their searches for evidence against Martin, however necessary that had been. _Absolutely not. Not ever again._

“That will not be necessary Lieutenant Arroyo,” Jessica said, noting Gil’s small wince at the usage of his formal title. She bypassed her son and friend and went right to the top, as she would negotiating any deal, “Chief Haze, I do appreciate the concern, but surely your case can use the budget for other details given the low probability of threat? Besides,” She gestured around herself, “this home has a top-of-the-line security system, and we use it.” 

Malcolm jumped in quickly trying to get her to change her mind, while Ainsley rolled her eyes with a look that read, _I told you so._ She put up a warning hand, silencing her son, “Thank you all for your concern, but that is that.” 

As Chief Haze and Gil took turns finalizing the ground rules for meeting at her home, Jessica inwardly huffed as her son attempted to bring the topic of conversation back to her protection. Just as she was about to cut him off again, the doorbell rang. Immediately, everyone fell silent. 

Luisa entered the foyer a moment later, “Ms. Blake has arrived ma’am.” 

\----------------------

Jessica rose to greet Detective Powell in the foyer. It was unusual for Luisa not to escort guests herself, and the move raised both of her children’s eyebrows, but she wanted a moment to take in the woman who would be fake dating her son. Her curiosity overrode etiquette.

The detective stood, framed by the door, wearing a divine, feminine wrap dress that emphasized her form. A lover of fashion, Jessica noted how the dress was perfectly suited to her complexion and frame, but far more interesting to her was the small, slightly hesitant smile gracing her features. 

_Why is she nervous?_

Dani stretched out her hand, “It’s nice to see you again Ms. Whitly. Thank you for letting us use your home.” 

“Of course, Detective,” Jessica was caught off guard by the small flash of genuine pleasure she felt at seeing her again. She shook the detective’s offered hand. Pivoting slightly, Jessica turned towards the sitting room, a fond hand gently taking the detective’s arm to guide her. She noted the quick look of surprise in the detective’s face at the familiarity of the gesture. _There are those nerves. I didn’t take her as the skittish type. Pretty opposite I thought._

“The others are right this way,” Jessica smiled calmly. “Chief Haze, Gil, Detective Tarmel, and Detective Peterson have taken over the sitting room. It’s in the back of the house and quite private. And, of course, my children.”

She felt Dani pause in her steps for only a second, “Ainsley is here too?”

Jessica pasted on a giant smile, slight defensiveness at the detective’s tone rising up. She stopped and turned to face her, “That’s quite right. Both of my children.” 

Dani’s face was blank, professional, but her eyes seemed a little concerned, “I didn’t mean any offense. I’m just surprised given it’s an active police investigation.” 

Jessica shook her head slightly, glancing down then back up at Dani. A small ironic smile flitted across her face, “No offense taken. I’m sure the full details of how my children arranged this little coup is quite the story.” Jessica leaned forward conspiratorially, “Feel free to make everyone explain themselves at least three times.” 

Turning to continue escorting Dani, Jessica startled slightly at Malcolm’s presence directly behind her. She hadn’t heard him arrive. 

Taken aback at the intensity her son practically vibrated with, Jessica inwardly groaned. _He can be so awkward with his peers._ She took a deep breath. Turning back to look at the detective, Jessica prepared herself to smooth over any uncomfortableness that Malcolm was about to cause with the interrogation she knew was coming.

Instead, Jessica’s eyes widened at the playful glare the detective was giving her son. “You owe me more axe throwing lessons for that stunt,” Dani said, quietly adding, “My arm is fine. Only small bruises.” 

The rigidity seems to melt out of Malcolm and a more natural composure quickly took its place, “You’re sure you’re ok?” 

Dani narrowed her eyes, the twinkle removing any sting, and kept silent. Rather than take offense, her son smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, “Ok. Stupid question.” 

Suddenly, the previous comment hit Jessica, “What’s this about axe throwing lessons?”

Annoyance quickly took over as her son unceremoniously grabbed Dani’s hand, pulling her gently along, “Gil is waiting Mother. We don’t want to be rude.” 

Jessica watched him practically drag the young detective away from her. _Babbling about some case thing isn’t going to work darling._ Luisa appeared at her side, a small cup of tea in her hand. 

“Your tea ma’am,” Luisa handed her the cup.

_God bless this woman._

Jessica took a sip, letting the liquor flavoring the tea warm her throat. Tea more appropriate for the others was already set up in the room. Jessica shook herself. Hands wrapped comfortingly around the cup, she moved to rejoin the group of law enforcement officers and her children. 

\------------------------ 

“Has he done that before?”

Gil’s professionalism was on fully display; however, Jessica could see a certain level of sharpness in his face. _He’s worried about her._

Detective Powell hummed a negative, putting her purse down and launching into an explanation, “Carl likes to crowd me, try and use different mechanisms to maneuver most of us students when he can. Usually he’s hands off.” She paused, her mouth twisting downwards for a second, “Except when he’s correcting our poses of course. But I’m fine.” 

Jessica naturally glanced at her son. His eyes were tracking the detective’s movements, like he was assessing for himself the truth behind her words. 

Dani addressed Chief Haze and Gil, though her body angled slightly towards Malcolm, “He thrives on control. It’s all the warning signs of a batterer, including that it’s unbelievably subtle most of the time, and he makes you feel heard. Seen. Special.” 

Jessica lifted her eyes from her son to Dani. _That’s how Martin made me feel. I only realized how controlling he had been after his arrest. I wonder if she—”_

Dani continued on, oblivious to Jessica’s musings about her previous dating history, “I know Carl doesn’t have a rap sheet but I’d bet a month’s salary he’s hurt women before.”

Chief Haze nodded at Malcolm, giving credit where credit was due, “Your consultant said the same thing.” 

“Partner,” Dani corrected politely, her voice calm and respectful. Despite that, Jessica got the impression she hadn’t been pleased with her son’s initial absence from the case. Intrigue joined Jessica’s curiosity. _A point of contention perhaps?_

“The woman I had lunch with today was most the obvious to be concerned about. She was consistently acting nervous around Carl,” Dani looked over at Malcolm, “but I think she’s just an anxious personality. Is there a way to tell if it’s just general anxiety disorder or something from a conversation?”

“I can give you some subtle questions to ask next time,” Malcolm looked at Gil, “We are all meeting here with Dani daily correct? I still need to go over the protocols.” Malcolm ignored Dani’s cocked eyebrow, waiting for Chief Haze and Gil’s response. At the affirmative, he turned back to her, “Do you believe Carl is acting alone?” 

Dani smiled slightly, “So you saw him scan the horizon too? Where were you?” 

Malcolm looked a little sheepish but stayed silent. JT jumped in, “Hiding behind cars.” A small blush crept up Malcolm’s neck. 

“Carl isn’t dumb but he isn’t actually all that intelligent either. I have no evidence of a partner but,” Dani shrugged a little, “I just have a feeling.” 

Gil and JT exchanged glances. “We were just talking about the same thing in the van,” JT looked at Malcolm, “Something about this case is off. It’s not just that this guy is a sleaze that hates women. Gil and I couldn’t put our fingers on it.” 

Malcolm walked over to stand by the detectives, his brow furrowed. He brought a hand up to cup his chin thoughtfully. Jessica knew that look. It was the same look he used to get when trying to decide a chess move. _He has their respect, but they also have his._ Her son was taking their intuition extremely seriously. 

“Won’t this all backfire?” Ainsley cut into Malcolm’s thoughts. 

“How so?” Malcolm asked, a little put out by the interruption. 

“We used our real names, we’re at our childhood home, and you’ve been cited in the news before as a police consultant.” 

“I’m going to add to that with, why is a journalist here?” Dani added, her nose scrunched a little. She turned to Ainsley, “No offense.” 

Ainsley shook her head immediately, “None taken.” Everyone looked at Malcolm for answers. 

Jessica smiled a little at how he naturally took over the conversation, explaining something about how the police would be viewed by the suspect as his ultimate competitors. How Ainsley was going to be embedded into the case. She scanned the group. The feelings towards Malcolm varied on everyone’s face and in their body language, but they were all listening intently. 

_There are many types of leaders._ Pride welled up in her chest. Jessica looked at Ainsley, whose force of personality meshed with a strong intelligence. It occurred to her that she had never met any of Ainsley’s immediate peers from work, though she knew all of the most senior leaders from events around town. _I’ve only ever really met Malcolm’s…_ A small disquiet shifted in her, but she quickly dismissed it. _She's fine – high emotional intelligence. He’s the one who’s always struggled so._

“That’s why our going on dates will help,” Malcolm concluded. His eyes widened, “Fake dates.” 

Ainsley shook her head, speaking before her brother could keep talking, “So, basically, the fact that you are with law enforcement won’t make him run; instead, Carl Philips will view you as an extension of the things that make him feel insecure – wealthy, from law enforcement, handsome.” Ainsley’s smile showed her teeth, “When he sees you stealing his property,” her eyes glanced at Dani then back at Malcolm, “he’ll want to prove he can beat you. What keeps him from just killing you?” 

Jessica felt everything in her rebel, nausea flooding her system almost instantaneously, “Wait what?” The impulse to grab her children and get them as far away as possible propelled her body forward without thinking. She stalked towards them both, ignoring the death glare Malcolm was leveling at Ainsley, “What do you mean he might try and kill you?” 

“He won’t Mother,” Malcolm raised his hands, trying to slow her responses. “He’d rather ‘win’ Kora and rub it in my face. He’ll be totally off center and impulsive. Easy to control.” Malcolm scanned Jessica’s face, gently squeezing her arm reassuringly, “I’m not the one who’ll be in danger.” 

Malcolm licked his lips and looked at Dani, “I was watching to make sure he wasn’t pushed too far this morning, and I knew it would help. I’d never put you in danger.” 

Dani looked confused, her eyes roaming over Malcolm’s earnest face, “I know.” His relief that she believed him was obvious to everyone in the room. Dani’s lips settled into a thin line; her brown eyes slightly narrowed as Dani stared down JT and Gil silently. _This is no mock glare._

The air seemed heavy with the feeling of an unspoken conversation she was not a part of. Anxiety pulled at her thoughts, lingering flashes of adrenaline flooding her veins at the prospect of her children being in danger. Jessica reached for the cup of tea, taking sips larger than propriety would dictate. 

“You’re going to incorporate your profile to our approach, right?” Dani asked, breaking the tension. Seeing Malcolm nod, she declared, “Good. Let’s get to work.” 

Dani’s words seemed kick everything in high gear. _Many types of leaders._ Jessica tilted her head thoughtfully. Studying the team, she took her time, trying to understand what role each person was trying to play. 

_Groups are like an orchestra, Jessica. You must be their conductor if you are to be successful in society._ Her complete exile from all she had known had taught her the wisdom of her mother’s words. She’d taken them to heart ever since, using the perspective to claw her way back into society and to protect her children.

Her gaze drifted anxiously over their forms. _They may not appreciate it, but they are better off than they would be._

Jessica watched as Ainsley moved to sit next to JT, ensuring she was fully in the middle of the conversation. Asking questions, taking notes, Ainsley seemed content as a professional observer. Her son paced slightly, until the protocols around Dani’s security and contact procedures were laid out. Malcolm stopped, taking his place between Dani and Gil, fully absorbed in the conversation. 

But it was Detective Powell that fascinated her. _Subtle… more on the quiet side… Stoic. When she speaks Malcolm, JT, and Gil all listen. Detective Peterson sometimes tries to talk over her. She doesn’t let that stop her, but she doesn’t need to be the center of attention either. Introvert?_ Jessica paused, considering. _I would never think she and Malcolm would have a whole lot in common. But…_

Jessica’s eyebrows rose as Malcolm got excited about something and started talking over everyone. Hands gesturing wildly, he began to get lost in his thoughts, missing the social cues the others were projecting. She sighed sadly as she saw annoyance begin to spread amongst the team. Expecting Gil to put a calming hand on Malcolm’s shoulder, she was surprised yet again when Dani gently brushed against his shoulder, her eyes soft. _Fond?_ Malcolm paused. Looking around, he wrapped up his point.

_Well now…_

Jessica turned towards Chief Haze, who was talking through whatever Malcolm had pointed out. Measured, he seemed to be carefully weighing her son’s words. _Chief Haze reminds me a bit of Gil._

“Now that my brother’s happy with Dani’s security. Gil mentioned you are playing two angles. That you can get secrets and that you have one. What are the secrets?” Ainsley’s voice drew Jessica from her musings. 

“One of my fake clients is having an affair. We have some photoshopped images on a burner phone waiting in the wings if that’s what he starts showing interest in. If it’s my secret he wants, I had an affair with one of my married clients. We have photoshopped images of that as well.” 

“Wait, what?” Malcolm cut in, a little taken aback, “With who?” 

“Jack from Cyber,” JT intoned. 

“Is he cute, wealthy, what would perk Carl’s interest?” Ainsley asked, fully professional. 

“What?” Malcolm asked again, just as Ainsley followed up with her question.

Dani pursed her lips, giving JT a look. She shook her head, “It’s not Jack.” She turned to answer Ainsley’s question directly when JT jumped in again. 

“Tally says he’s cute and has a massive crush on Dani,” JT grinned, “She saw him falling all over himself trying to get your attention at the precinct BBQ. I’m trying to wingman you here Powell.” 

Jessica almost let an unlady-like snicker escape at her son’s expression. He was not one to attend BBQs, but he didn’t seem surprised by JT’s pronouncement of this Jack’s interest. 

Dani had no such compunction. She simply kicked JT under the table. Malcolm shuffled closer to Gil, “Why is Jack being used for photos with Dani? He’s not even an officer or a consultant. He’s a government specialist.” Jessica furrowed her eyebrows. _Is that a distinction?_

Dani rolled her eyes dramatically, “Oh my god, it’s a stock photo of just some guy photoshopped with me in it. Ainsley,” Dani cut off both JT and Malcolm firmly, “we have a legend built for a fake client that we thought would ring a lot of Carl’s bells. We’ll add elements from Bright’s profile to really perk his interest.” 

Ainsley nodded in understanding, “Interesting. So, you set up a preliminary story and are filling out the details as you go?” 

“Not really. We have legends built extensively for every one of my clients. Cyber even has fake social media posts for them, back-dating them so it looks like the accounts go back years. It takes a lot of planning and time. However, we always allow for evolution when we are investigating.” 

Ainsley nodded, jotting down notes as she spoke. Dani looked up at Gil, “Speaking of keeping up looks. I have a meeting I’m supposed to go to with another one of the women from the studio. She’s a buyer at Nordstrom’s.” 

Dani smiled a little ironically at Bright, “I never appreciated how much work fashion was until I had a crash course in all the designers and the principles of design. Though I admit,” Dani looked over at her reflection in the mirror, “I am enjoying some of the new clothes. Well, borrowed clothes.”

“Where did you get the Stella McCartney?” Jessica couldn’t help but interject, “I love the electric blue color on you.” 

Dani bit her lip, blushing, “Thank you. It’s an asset grabbed in a high-end drug bust. Almost all my clothes are from the toy chest.” 

“Toy chest?” Ainsley asked before she could. 

“If convicted, NYPD takes possession of assets forfeited – usually things bought by money obtained illegally. Allows us to use it during cases without spending from our budget. We call it the toy chest,” Gil explained. He clasped his hands together, signaling the end of the meeting. “Dani, you have time to chat with Malcolm and I for a minute?” 

Jessica’s gaze swept over Gil, trying to read him. _I know that tone._

Everyone filed out slowly, collecting the papers and computers used to further plan the operation. Jessica graciously led JT, the Chief, and Detective Peterson to the back door, bidding them goodbye. Grabbing Ainsley, Jessica shushed her. Pulling her along, she looped back to spy on Dani, Malcolm, and Gil. 

_That’s the tone he uses when he wants to talk about difficult personal things._

Jessica watched as Gil, arms folded, leveled a stern look at Malcolm, “We’ve already discussed what happened today so I’m not getting into it. What I wanted to make sure of is that Dani’s comfortable.”

Both Dani and Malcolm glanced at each other in confusion. “What do you mean?” Dani asked. 

Gil shifted, seeming a little impatient at their confusion, “Usually when an undercover op involves a fake romance between coworkers, I have more lead time.” He gave Malcolm a look. Turning to Dani, Gil softened his tone, “I would have asked you privately about boundaries and comfort level. I want to make sure you’re okay with everything. We can take another approach if you aren’t.” 

“I want that too,” Malcolm turned, shaking his head, looking genuinely contrite. “I’m sorry Dani. I saw an opportunity and I took it. I didn’t stop to think about it like that. It’s hard being a woman on the force, and I’m sure –”

“I know better than both of you what it’s like being a woman on the force,” Dani said, cutting him off. Jessica only had a profile view of her face, but could see the exasperated affection written plain as day as Dani looked from Malcolm and Gil. “And I appreciate the check in. If it had been someone else, I might have a different response, but I trust my team.” Dani looked at Malcolm, “I’m not worried about that.” 

The look in Malcolm’s eyes, made Jessica want to close hers. She wasn’t sure anymore what the detective was to her son, but at the very least, he’d found a comrade. For him, that’s no small thing. She glanced at Ainsley. Her smile matched her own. 

Dani’s movement drew their attention back. She’d crossed the room to collect her things, “Besides, it’s not like I was surprised.” 

“What does that mean?” Malcolm asked, distracted by his own thoughts and trying to focus. 

Mouth quirking, she walked right past him to stand in front of Gil, holding a hand out silently. 

Gil huffed and took out his wallet, “You called it. He forced his way on within 3 weeks.” He dropped a twenty into her hand. 

Dani pivoted, skirts swirling slightly at the move, leveling a triumphant smirk at Malcolm, “I’m not a fan of dates who are late.” With that, she left. 

Jessica looked at her son. She bit her lip, giggling a little at the deliciousness of his bewilderment. 

“What was that?” Malcolm asked Gil. 

Gil pursed his lips, utterly exasperated, “Kid, you are not that hard to predict sometimes.”

_Detective Dani Powell, I’m about to become your new best friend._


	4. Ainsley & Gil

Ainsley practically growled as she almost spilled coffee all over herself for the second time in as many days due to her brother’s abrupt stop. To be fair, Detective Peterson – Jim, she reminded herself - unexpectedly opened the back of the van door and almost hit him. Still, this was a new outfit and she needed all the caffeine she could handle after spending most of the night doing research for this embed job. 

Jim’s face looked uncomfortable as he slid past them, a curt, professional nod his only greeting. Ainsley felt her brother tense as he nodded back and quickly hopped into the back, turning to offer a hand to help her up. 

“What happened?” Malcolm asked once the van door was closed. 

JT turned to greet them, “Welcome to van hell Ms. Whitly.” He looked at Malcolm, “We did a close up of Dani when it looked like Carl was speaking to her. She was bending over doing some move. I didn’t appreciate Jim’s comment.” 

Malcolm didn’t say anything, but his jaw flexed. Ainsley felt a little jolt of surprise, “I could have used you on my piece about gambling dens. Also, please call me Ainsley.” 

Her mouth quirked up in amusement at the glower her brother levied at no one in particular. JT noticed and smirked a little, flashing her a friendly look. _Friendlier at least._

JT was a bit hard to read. He had the same manner as some of the soldiers she’d interviewed, and had a definite distrust of her and her profession. She didn’t take it personally. She’d never met a cop alive who felt differently. 

Sure, the usual undercurrent of distrust was amplified because he knew about her dad, but there was also this small trace of… Ainsley eyed JT as he worked the monitors to do a scan of the perimeter. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Maybe tolerance? Like a small measure of special tolerance was being granted to her because of Malcolm. Usually, it worked the other way around. People tolerating Malcolm because of her. 

As she mused on the newness of the dynamic, Ainsley eyed her brother’s reactions to the detective now on the monitor. Interest was buzzing in both her and her mother’s veins, fueling the already pronounced drive she had to intertwine herself with every element of the case she could. 

Her brother’s gaze never left the monitors, moving systematically between the primary one watching the women and the secondary ones that showed other camera angles around the coffee shop and the studio. They didn’t linger any longer on Dani doing yoga in front him than need be. She couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed at the lack of intel to report back. 

They had arrived slightly late to the van due to the final vestiges of the embed paperwork needing to be signed by legal. Ainsley wasn’t allowed to report on any of the methods or processes of investigation she saw, as they remained confidential, but she could use them to inform atmospherics. She wasn’t about to waste this opportunity to learn nuances of the police work. Understanding their investigative tactics could only help in any number of situations.

Eventually though, the monotony got to her, “I’ve never really been a TV watcher. How are you two still so focused? Shouldn’t we be doing something else since nothing is happening?”

Malcolm smiled fondly, “Police work is patience. Besides, there’s a lot here to see.” 

Ainsley cocked an eyebrow, “How so?” 

He nodded at JT, “Do you want to, or shall I?”

JT gave Malcolm a dubious look but started to describe what he was looking for, “The yoga studio has three approach areas: the front door, the fire exit, and a hallway staircase to the office spaces in the rest of the building. We have cameras on all three, which is obvious.”

Ainsley nodded, not sure where JT was going with this. 

“What’s less obvious is frequency of usage. People are creatures of habit so we have to identify a baseline pattern of foot traffic. That will help us see subtle changes that may need following up on, rather than just the obvious stuff.”

JT shifted in his seat, beginning to get a little more animated, “There’s also blind spot tracking. The fire exit alarm doesn’t work, so people use it almost constantly to smoke, leave for lunch, and head home. However, there’s an angle from the exit where someone could sneak into Carl’s office without being caught on camera. That blind spot, though, can be seen by that camera there in combination with that camera,” JT pointed to two other small monitors. “So, we’ve got make sure that anyone on that camera,” JT pointed to the original monitor, “shows up on that monitor, and then that monitor,” he pointed to another. 

It only got more in-depth from there. Ainsley listened intently with a growing sense of appreciation for just how hard good surveillance could be. After some hesitancy, and after she asked some fairly insightful questions, she could tell both men were starting to get into teaching her some of the nuances of their work. She jotted down detailed notes of everything they said. _I could use this to surveil targets for stories._

It occurred to her, as the yoga session was wrapping up, that she was enjoying herself. _The comradery, the complexity, trying to solve puzzles…No wonder Mal likes this - even without the whole catching bad guys thing._

“Here we go,” JT paused in his spontaneous lecture. The class was officially over, and the women were rolling up their mats. “Bro, here’s the earpiece with mic so you can be on comms. Gil’s on it too.” 

Malcolm nodded, slipping it in his ear as he watched the screen attentively. Rather than approach Carl, Dani moved to talk with a couple of the women. 

“Those two are the wealthiest in the class,” Malcolm narrated, “They most fit the profile for potential targets, with Kora Blake being the third.” 

“Why didn’t you make her the wealthiest?” Ainsley asked. 

JT answered for him, as Malcolm became absorbed into reading the body languages of the women having their discussion, “Those two are heiresses. No way we could make Kora that rich as a stylist and keep the cover. Not a big deal though, Dani will just integrate herself in with them.” 

“Makes sense, but she better be careful. You get a pretty good BS reader about who just wants to be near you for your money when you have a big enough trust fund,” Ainsley commented off-handedly, missing the considering look JT threw at her and Malcolm. 

“Turn up audio,” Malcolm said suddenly. Carl wasn’t near Dani or the microphone, but JT immediately did so. “Her body language,” Malcolm pointed to one of the women Dani was talking too, “It’s off. Subtle, but it’s off. Can we get a clearer read?” 

The women were standing too far away; the noise of the studio patrons putting on shoes, rummaging through purses, and chatting amicably drowning out what faint sounds there could be. 

Dani seemed to realize the same thing as she tried to slowly maneuver the women closer to the vent. It didn’t work. The woman deemed ‘off’ waved a goodbye and left, bypassing the area where most kept their things and, instead, grabbing her shoes and leaving silently. 

“Huh. We need to learn more about her,” Malcolm said needlessly. Both she and JT had already begun writing down all they could remember about the woman.

“I’ll send it to the team and get Jim pulling info,” JT said. 

Dani waved back to the woman and continued on to where her belongings were strategically placed under the vent alongside the other heiress. They were chatting about nothing in particular when Carl approached.

Both women looked up to greet him, smiling pleasantly. The other woman seemed to sense Carl was there to talk to Dani and, with a small wink in her direction, made herself scarce. Ainsley laughed quietly to herself. _Ah, the unspoken rules of friendship._

As the crowd thinned out, Carl moved closer to Dani, reaching out to clasp her hand, “I’m sorry our coffee was interrupted so rudely by that guy. I hope dinner works out though.” 

Dani smiled, gentle and inviting, “I hope so too. I’m actually getting coffee with him today. But maybe this weekend?” 

Carl’s displeasure, and the fact he was trying to cover it up, was obvious, “How about tomorrow rather than this weekend?”

Dani hummed, “Let me check really fast.” She pulled out her phone to scroll through her calendar needlessly, “Sure, that should work. Do you mind if I hang out here for another minute? Malcolm is supposed to pick me up after class.” 

Ainsley glanced at her brother whose eyes moved with systematic precision over the couple, absorbing information that the rest of them couldn’t see. 

“Being a little late your idea?” Ainsley asked. 

“Yes, she wanted me to be on time. I want him to sit with the knowledge a bit. See how he’ll respond,” Malcolm explained. 

“Well, if we have time,” Carl’s voice lowered a couple of octaves, becoming smoother, “we could practice. You still wobble a bit on Eagle.” He reached out to place a hand on Dani’s lower abdomen, moving even closer, “The power comes from here.” 

Everyone in the van tensed at the intimacy of the touch. 

“Mal,” Ainsley began, an unsettled feeling creeping into her gut, but her brother was already brushing past her to head into the studio. 

For her part, Ainsley thought Dani showed remarkable control. She let a small, sad look flit across her face and turned to put her phone back in her purse, moving away from his hand naturally, “It’s funny. When I get to that move, it’s like it triggers some emotion somewhere. Distracts me.” 

Dani looked at Carl, vulnerability apparent, “Yoga has been helping me heal from a bad relationship. Ended about a year ago, but I got in a bit over my head. Could care less about the guy anymore,” she said ruefully, “but it brought some trouble I’m still digging out of.” She flushed, hesitant and embarrassed, “Sorry, that was probably more than you wanted to know.” 

Quite the opposite, Carl looked like her mother during fashion week. _He’s so blatant. How is he getting in with these women?_

Just as Carl was about to respond, Ainsley could hear the door to the studio open. Her brother entered next, looking like he stepped out of a modeling contract. She rolled her eyes a little in fondness and exasperation as Malcolm moved to hug Dani in greeting, purposefully forcing Carl to step aside or run into him. _Also, not subtle big bro._

“I’m so sorry I’m late. The board needed to talk to me,” Malcolm smiled apologetically at Dani. He turned to Carl, “It’s nice to see you again Phil.” 

“Carl Philips.” 

“Ah,” Malcolm let his dimples out, “Sorry, Carl. How’s your day going?” 

“Fine,” Carl’s voice was stiff, dripping with resentment. 

“Good, good,” Malcolm turned to Dani, “You ready for coffee?” 

“Of course. Bye Carl. See you tomorrow?” 

Carl’s head jerked in the affirmative, as Malcolm guided Dani out, hand on the small of her back. 

\------------------------------- 

He watched the two enter the coffee shop from his vantage point in the corner. Reading a paper, he casually leaned back, getting a clearer view. 

Malcolm escorted Dani to the counter, chatting in a friendly sort of way; however, his eyes kept drifting to the left. Gil followed his gaze to a woman sitting at a table nearby also reading a paper, which covered most of her face as well. 

“JT? Who’s the woman in the red top to my left?” Gil asked quietly into the earpiece. 

“Checking,” JT replied, “It’s a woman from the class. She changed her clothes, but that’s her. Bright thought something was off about her. Jim’s running it down. Bright, you see her?”

Malcolm cleared his throat in the affirmative. 

“She’s not here by coincidence. JT, keep the cameras trained on her. I want to know every little thing she’s doing. I’ll keep eyes on Bright and Dani.” 

There were a couple open tables near him, and Bright gently steered Dani towards one in the middle between him and the mystery woman. _Likely wanting to get closer without being obvious. She might be able to hear though._

Gil saw Dani do a quick glance at the woman, signaling she’d also seen her. A shy look crossed her face as she peered at Malcolm through her eyelashes. Malcolm, for his part, looked slightly nervous as he smiled back, fidgeting in his suit. 

_If she can hear, they’ll have to make sound real._ Gil flicked his paper, the rustle covering up a deep sigh. Something about this whole dynamic was making him uncomfortable. 

There was no doubt in his mind that Dani and Malcolm would be professional. But it was always tricky when undercover jobs required any of his team to do things that put themselves in comprising positions in front of colleagues. It wasn’t unusual, just tricky.

In fact, Gil mused, as he listened to Dani and Malcolm’s awkward opening conversation, fake romantic engagements usually didn’t rise to the same level of concern as going undercover for VICE. That almost always resulted in someone - regardless of gender – being put in clothes and situations easily mocked in locker rooms after the fact. 

Selecting a team for something like that took a lot of honest reflection on group dynamics as a leader, and something about Dani and Malcolm in this situation, while low-risk on paper, felt different, weighted. Both had been hurt deeply in different ways, and though he trusted them to look out for each other, fake dating was triggering alarm bells in his gut. 

He didn’t like this. At all.

Gil compulsively reached over to tear off a small portion of his strawberry lemon scone. Letting the sweetness and tang settle on his tongue, Gil scanned the environment discreetly before coming back to focus on Malcolm and Dani. Jackie had loved strawberry and lemon scones, and the flavor always helped him feel a little more settled in his bones. 

Another sigh wormed its way out of his chest, the unsettled feeling turning into resignation. It is what it is. He relaxed in his chair a bit, listening. 

“I am sorry about covering you in coffee,” Dani smiled, her brown eyes twinkling, “Though I admit the look on your face was a bit priceless.” She looked around the coffee shop as Malcolm chuckled at whatever mental image that provoked, “And I’ll also admit the outcome was better than I expected.” 

“Accidents really do happen, and I’m not a believer in punishing people for them. Besides, while it’s a unique way to meet someone, it does make for a good story,” Malcolm replied, looking down a bit shyly. 

“Very magnanimous of you.” 

He shrugged, “More like I can be complete klutz and don’t want it held over my head too.” 

Dani’s smile broadened, “Most embarrassing klutz moment?” 

Malcolm lifted an eyebrow, a playful smirk emerging, “Ok. I was in high school. We had to give a 15-minute speech for history class.” He waved his hand, “Subject not important. What was important is the girl I had the biggest crush on was sitting in the front row, and I picked a topic I knew she felt passionately about.” 

A fond look came over Dani’s face as she leaned her elbows on the table getting into the story, “And you were going to use your mind to win her over.” 

Malcolm nodded, letting out a self-depreciating laugh, “Exactly.” He twirled his hands in a flourish, setting the mood, “It was my big moment.”

“What happened?” 

“I took a sip of water as I walked up front. Multi-tasking - not great when I’m nervous. Spilled all over my legs, making it look like I soiled myself.” 

Dani burst out laughing, “Oh god, that stinks. Did you have to do the speech in gym shorts or something?” 

Gil closed his eyes, already anticipating the answer. He knew what high school was like for Malcolm. Dani did not. 

“No, the teacher made me stand there and give the speech while pretty much everyone laughed,” Malcolm chuckled, eyes on his drink, missing the appalled look that crossed Dani’s face before she schooled her expression. 

Malcolm looked up, still smiling. His face fell slightly when he saw Dani’s blank look. Gill felt the familiar rumble of protective anger in his chest. The bullying Malcolm was exposed to would have crossed into criminal complaints in this day and age. A simple group mocking wouldn’t have registered for as cruel as it had been, when compared to the other incidences he experienced. Sometimes his kid forgot to measure his own experiences against others not related to The Surgeon. A small blind spot that cropped up only occasionally, but always had the same effect on Gil - fury and the desire to protect. 

Dani for her part, cocked her head, giving Malcolm a considering look, “Did you get an A?” 

Malcolm nodded in the affirmative, not sure where Dani was going with it. 

“So, even with all that, you didn’t let them defeat you,” she continued on before he could interrupt, “Have you used the subject area since?” She clarified at his confused look, “In your job, perhaps? To win at a trivia night? Something?” 

He sat back a little in his chair, giving Dani the same considering glance she was giving him, “Yes.” 

She pointed to herself, “You certainly used the experience to give me a lot of grace. Probably others as well.” Dani brought her coffee up to lips, finishing her thought, “So really, they acted like the worst of themselves, and you used it to become a better person.” 

She used sipping her coffee to give space for her comment to sink in. Gil studied Malcolm. He’d never seen that expression before, and he wasn’t sure what it meant. His feeling of unease grew.

Dani, for her part, seemed unphased, “Ok, my turn.” Dani tilted her head and pursed her lips like she was thinking of something. They’d made Kora’s back story as close to Dani’s as she was comfortable with. It was standard protocol for undercover work as it helped the officers with their memory and to have more natural responses to things.

“I grew up in the city so I was really unfamiliar with camping or anything remotely not cityish. There was a program through a local nonprofit that sent kids to wilderness camp for a week to learn about the great outdoors.” Dani rolled her eyes, “As if I need to know about the great outdoors living in New York. Anyway, similar to your story, it involves an attempt to multi-task. They had given us these old-fashioned tents, and we had to set them up ourselves. No one was demonstrating how to do it, mind you. We just had a set of directions that looked like they’d been printed out in the 70s. So, I’m standing there, trying to read and set up a tent – which at this point I’d only ever seen on TV – when my feet became tangled in the canvas and metal poles. I fell,” Dani tilted a hand as if to say ‘naturally’, “but I had decided to build my tent in what I thought was a very pretty location - at the very top of a hill overlooking a beautiful pasture of sheep.” 

“Oh no,” Malcolm’s eyes widened. 

“Oh yes,” Dani’s nose wrinkled in amusement, “I rolled down the entire hill, still all tangled up, and both me and my tent landed right in the middle of just piles of sheep poop.” 

“Manure,” Malcolm corrected without thinking, “Was it all over you and the tent?” 

“Yep, with everyone standing at the top of hill just staring shock. That gave way pretty quickly to laughter. You don’t even want to know what my tent and cloths smelled like after that.” 

“They didn’t let you change or something?” Malcolm asked, a horrified laugh punctuating the comment. 

This time it was Dani who looked a little uncomfortable. She shrugged, “Money was tight and anything extra required my parents to work overtime. They both already worked crazy hours. I didn’t feel right asking for anything new. I only brought a couple changes of clothes. Tried to wash off in the lake but it was only moderately successful. I had to reuse the clothes a couple times that week. My brother was there so the ribbing never got too bad, but I was so embarrassed.” Dani suddenly burst out laughing, “You know those international nonprofits where you can gift a farmer with different supplies?” 

“Like Heifer International?” 

Dani nodded, “To this day, my brother buys a sheep in my name every year as my Christmas present.” 

Malcolm smiled appreciatively, “Ah, family.”

“Indeed.” 

A comfortable silence followed as they both drank their coffee. It made Gil shift a little in his seat. _First dates wouldn’t talk about embarrassing moments and have comfortable silence._

Perhaps Malcolm realized that as well, as he broke the peace with more typical first-date question, “So now that embarrassing stories are out of the way, what do you do for fun?” The question seemed forced, like he was reading a script, licking his lips nervously. 

Gil scanned the horizon trying to see if anything was out of place. Nothing jumped out at him. 

“Well, I like to read fiction to escape. I don’t get to read often because my job has odd hours; I’m a little at the beck and call of my clients and their schedules. When I do though, it’s one of my favorite things.”

“What was the last book you read?” 

Dani’s eyes widened, a deer in headlights look coming over her face that took both him and Malcolm aback. _Did she not expect the follow up question?_

She shrugged, trying to cover, “It was a while ago. What about you?” 

Malcolm’s jaw dropped slightly, “Oh no, I need to know. What was the book?” 

A flush tinted her cheeks, “My cousin gave me a trashy romance novel over Christmas to read.” 

His jaw practically hit the floor. Dani immediately tried to justify herself, “My cousin loved it, gave it to me, and kept asking me about it.” 

“Except, I can tell you loved it. Your voice softened,” Malcolm practically giggled with glee as Dani’s autonomic tells gave her away. “You like romance novels don’t you?” 

Dani pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, “Unashamedly. Though, I admit it doesn’t track with the,” Dani paused, a corner of her mouth quirking up, “sophisticated aura I try to project. Have you actually read any?” 

Bright shook his head no, dramatically. Dani cocked an eyebrow, “So you’re being incredibly judgmental about an entire genre, yet I bet you’ve read classics that are just as spicy and romance laden. How do you know you aren’t missing out on a modern-day classic?” 

Bright licked his lips, smothering another laugh, “I’ll tell you what. You pick out the best one you’ve ever heard of, and I’ll read it and compare it to the classics. I’ll write an essay and everything.”

Dani struck out a hand immediately, the two shaking on it. 

Gil’s unease turned into worry. _This isn’t going down like a normal first date._ Wanting to break up what was turning into a completely uncharacteristic giggle fest by two of his people, Gil stood up as though brushing crumbs off his lap. He slid his chair out, making sure it scraped across the floor. His movement and the noise caught Malcolm and Dani’s attention. 

_I’m not sure what’s happening, but I’m unimpressed._

The message got through, but the two seemed nonplussed at his concern. Dani continued on, shifting the conversation, “I also like to draw and paint. How about you?” 

Malcolm looked pleased, “You like art?” 

Dani shrugged, “I know almost nothing about it. Couldn’t tell you a single artist really, but I like to look at it. I like to draw, and I paint a little.” She held up a hand, caveating, “I’m not great at it; I only started a couple years ago. It just helps me decompress. You?” 

“Did you know that painting and drawing have been linked to a ton of health benefits? Studies have shown that doing art, however informal, can help improve memory, reasoning, and resilience. It’s also a common form of therapeutic intervention for people with medical conditions where conversations are hard, such as cancer, trauma recovery, Alzheimer’s, rehab –” Malcolm cut himself off. 

Dani glanced down, shoulders scrunching up uncomfortably, she quickly glanced at the woman watching them. 

“Anyway, I’m nerding out and I apologize. Not very suave of me, I’m sure.” 

_Good cover._ Gil went back to breathing regularly. 

For her part, Dani seemed to center herself, “I don’t mind. So, what do you do for fun?” 

“I like art, but I’m more of a collector than artist. I also like to read.” 

-“What’s your last book?” 

Malcolm smiled, “I mostly read non-fiction. My last book was written by an anthropologist that spent a lot of time with gangs in Los Angeles.” 

Dani’s eyes brightened with interest but Kora wouldn’t have as much of a reason to care, “Sounds interesting, if not a bit dark. Was it for work?” 

“Of a sort. I’m a consultant for the NYPD,” Malcolm said it a little loud, to ensure the woman heard. 

“Oh, that sounds cool. If I googled Malcolm Bright, would I see all these articles?” Dani teased pleasantly. 

“Less of a mention by name and more some of my cases,” Malcolm said bashfully. 

The original plan was to drop his full name and occupation in front of Carl. Gil mused over what must have happened for Malcolm and Dani to exit the yoga studio so quickly that it hadn’t happened. The unexpected appearance of the woman was a nice opportunity for course correcting, and cyber had swept through the internet to see what images of Dani came up prior to ever going undercover. They’d did it again at Malcolm’s request associated with every case he’d been a part of. They were confident Dani’s cover wouldn’t be blown by the suspect going down the rabbit hole of googling Malcolm Bright. 

_Here we go. Hopefully, Carl becomes hyper competitive._

“So, you like to collect art and read. What else do you do for fun?” 

Malcolm hesitated, perking Dani’s interest, “I, um, mostly work, but I do like to do martial arts.” 

Dani smiled, a bit unsure why he was hesitating, “What kind of martial arts?” 

He hesitated again. 

“What? Martial arts isn’t an unusual hobby. What kind do you do?” 

“I actually have three black belts. Two are Jujutsu and Muay Thai. I’m a Level 4 in Krav Maga. I’m training for my Level 5 now. I also know a lot of various types of weaponry. I was on the fencing team in college. I try and keep up the skillset.” 

Dani sat back a little stunned, “Really? All that?” 

A flush reddened his ears, “Yes. I know that sounds like a lot. My last girlfriend deemed all that, my work, and my book choices a bit overly intense, but…” Malcolm trailed off unsure what to say. 

Dani studied him silently. The silence hung heavy, stretching around them, and Gil felt Malcolm’s uncomfortableness as if it was his own. 

“You know…” Dani paused, choosing her words again carefully, “Intensity isn’t a bad thing. I have my own…” this time she hesitated, “intense places.” She plucked at her yoga clothes, as if to showcase her exterior, “I do a lot to make sure people don’t see, but it doesn’t mean it’s not there. Looks are deceiving. People tell their stylist everything. The things I know…” Dani raised her eyebrows suggestively. 

_Yes! There’s my girl._

She continued on, honing in with raze sharp focus on Malcolm again, “The question isn’t whether or not a person is intense. It’s whether their intensity allows space, or whether they are willing to make space, for another’s.” Dani’s face flushed a bit, “That’s probably forward for coffee. I meant in general. Not necessarily me.” She smiled, trying to lighten the mood a bit. 

Malcolm opened his mouth but nothing came out. The sharp ring of Dani’s phone shattered the silence making Gil jump alongside Dani and Malcolm. 

She checked the phone, “Oh, I’m so sorry, but I have client who has an event for tonight and she’s sending an SOS.” 

Malcolm stood helping Dani put on her coat, “If you are up for it, how about another date? I promise I’ll be more lighthearted.” 

Said with laughter in his voice, Malcolm seemed a bit unprepared for Dani’s response, “I’d love to, but only if you promise to act however you actually are.” 

Malcolm swallowed softly, “I promise.” 

JT’s voice rang in their ears, harsh in its interruption, “Vanessa Anderson – our heiress – looks like she’s about to follow you all out.” 

_Interesting. Let’s see what she does._ “Malcolm, walk a bit with Dani then separate. Let’s see who she follows,” Gil ordered. 

“Can I walk you to the subway or call you an Uber or something?” Malcolm asked with just enough uncertainty in his voice. 

“I’d love that. I need to go see my client. Walk me to the subway?” Dani asked, hiking her purse onto to shoulder, cheeks flushed. 

Malcolm smiled, gesturing with one hand while placing the other on the small of her back, “Lead on.” 

he two exited, making their way slowly, chatting amicably. Vanessa waited a couple beats before getting up and following. Gil waited a similar moment or two before beginning to tail Vanessa. 

Gil followed at a distance, trying to keep both keep space and eyes on Vanessa, which was getting harder as people left work for their lunch breaks. He couldn’t see Vanessa doing anything in particular except seemingly following Malcolm and Dani as they walked. Just as he was beginning to entertain the possibility that this was all a coincidence, however unlikely that may be, Vanessa paused to peruse a street stand when the two finally arrived at the steps of the subway. He paused for a moment as well, before Malcolm veered right and Dani went down the steps. Vanessa followed Dani, visibly hurrying to not lose her in the crowd.

“She’s following Dani,” Gil rushed down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Familiar adrenaline began coursing in his veins. Carl’s close presence in the studio didn’t allow for Dani to be on coms. There was no way for them to tell her. _See her Powell._

Arriving at the crush of people moving through the turn-styles, Gil turned to go back up a couple of steps to get a better vantage point. Dani was entering at the front of a subway car; Vanessa getting into the back. A flush of worry went down his spine, until he caught Dani’s eye. She nodded, jerking her head. _She saw her._

They were scheduled to be at Jessica’s that evening. Officially, Jessica and Kora were talking through elements of the fundraising event over dinner. Gil started mentally making a list of orders. 

“JT, the call that went to the burner phone, was that the preset alarm?” They hadn’t been sure if Carl was going to be watching Dani have coffee with Malcolm. They’d wanted some sort of planned interruption to make Carl curious if he had. 

"Yep. Dani is on the way to meet up with Officer Garcia. She’s all outfitted from the toy chest to be a client.” 

“Great. Let’s have someone waiting to tail Dani and Vanessa at the stop. I don’t want Dani without backup until she gets to Garcia.” 

“Will do.” 

_No, I don’t like this at all._


	5. JT & Ainsley

It always felt weird thinking of Bright living in his childhood home. It wasn’t that he didn’t scream privilege; he most certainly did. It was that it seemed so… controlled, perfect, museum like. And if JT had learned anything over the last year, it was that Malcolm Bright was anything but controllable or pristine. _Maybe Bright was really different as a kid?_

JT mused about the possible impacts the Surgeon aftermath might have had as he wandered around the sitting room. He moved to a fancy painting that looked old and expensive. Ainsley’s comment about having to be careful about people because of your money popped into his mind. _Bright seemed to agree._

He always had to stifle a sigh if someone went off, complaining about the pain of being rich. It happened occasionally, especially with suspects. Being hungry was far worse, though money brought its own difficulties. He’d investigated enough Upper East Side murders for that to be driven home. Ainsley had mentioned the concern more as an observation, and it was a good one. That particular risk hadn’t really crept into his mind when planning the op, but it would from now on. He made a mental note to tell Dani. 

The maid drew his attention as she escorted Gil and Chief Haze into the sitting room. _Time to get started._

“Where’s Bright and Powell?” Gil asked, looking around the room. 

“They’re upstairs practicing yoga. Bright’s helping her with some of the moves Carl’s using as an excuse to get his hands all up in there. Eagle something.” 

Gil nodded, face grave, “Good. More of that and we shift tactics.”

JT couldn’t agree more, but felt the need to warn him, “She’ll get pissed if we make a fuss.” He quickly raised his hands in surrender at Gil’s I-could-care-less look, “Not disagreeing boss, but Dani still needs to go on the date with Carl.” 

“I’m going to put a pair of homicide detectives in the restaurant,” Chief Haze replied. 

JT nodded; his concern assuaged. Dani could handle herself, but more backup never hurt. _Even if Bright doesn’t know the word._

Gil smiled in greeting as Jessica and Ainsley walked into the room, transitioning the conversation, “I appreciate you both agreeing to look at the file on Vanessa Anderson. Any connections she might have to various clubs or social scenes will help us understand if there is another link between the vics we missed.”

“Of course, we’re happy to help,” Jessica replied, a tense smile sweeping the room, “Luisa is bringing in dinner for everyone. We figured finger food would be more apropos for a working dinner. She’ll be able to get Malcolm and Detective Powell shortly.” 

“I can get them, if you don’t mind ma’am,” JT offered. Wandering around Bright’s childhood home was not on his list of fun things to do, but he was anxious to get started. 

Jessica seemed to hesitate a moment, before waving her hand in assent, “Upstairs and first door to your right is our library. They set up in there.” 

_They have a freakin’ library._ JT nodded professionally, resisting the urge to shake his head. 

He glanced around him as he went, moving up the stairs. Nothing about it appealed to him. He’d just spent last night going through two of Tally’s nursery Pinterest boards. She’d narrowed down the options to her two favorite and asked him to make the final selection. She’d known better than to give him too many options, but he surprised them both by wanting to linger, picturing the fun and the mess he’d be having soon enough with his own kid. He went with the jungle animals over the circus. 

He could tell the Whitlys loved each other. Well, the mom and the siblings loved each other; he wasn’t sure what the Surgeon was capable of, but he struggled to picture messes and laughter in the house. 

_That doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. Bright’s pops probably messed it all up._ JT shook his head, this time at himself. _I’m being judge-y. What do I know?_

Coming to the top of the stairs, the library door was already partially open. JT pushed the door a little more, peeking his head in to call them downstairs. The words died on his lips as he took in the scene.

The walls of the room were lined with book shelves. A single desk had been pushed to the side, creating a wide empty floor with two yoga mats laid out. Apparently, the position they were practicing involved Dani balancing on one leg with the other wrapped around it. Bent over slightly, she held her arms in front of her, bending at the elbow in a 90-degree angle. Her forearms were twisted around each other much like her legs. JT recognized the move immediately. It was the one where Carl usually tried to stabilize her by holding her lower half against his body. 

Bright, however, stood partially in front and to the side of her, with about a foot between them. JT’s eyebrows rose a bit. He was well within her personal space. 

Dani, for her part, seemed to be focusing intently, eyes forward. Instead of using his body like Carl, Bright touched her with only the pointer and middle fingers of each hand. One set of fingers gently rested under her elbows, helping keep them at the right angle. The other moved slowly but steadily from her lower back, up her spine, to her neck, as he gently murmured a correction. Dani adjusted her head a miniscule amount. He must have praised her because a small smile emerged across her face.

JT scanned her as Bright trailed his fingers across her neck, murmuring something. She didn’t seem uncomfortable. 

His fingers moved again, deliberately trailing down her neck to touch her right shoulder. JT watched as she tried to roll them away from her ears a little more. Bright said something again JT couldn’t pick up on, but Dani’s smile grew further. Bright’s fingers began making their way back up to her neck. 

A surge of uncomfortableness flooded JT, propelling him forward without thinking. He opened the door wide, calling their names. Both Dani and Bright startled, an audible gasp coming from Dani as she lost her balance and fell into Bright. In a jumble of limbs, they both crashed into the floor, groans from Bright and swears from Dani filling the room. 

Uncomfortableness turned into a laughter, “Sorry guys. Gil and Chief Haze are here. We’re ready to start.” 

_If looks could kill._

JT continued unabashedly laughing; Bright’s awkward, flushed face offsetting the utter death glare from Dani. He tilted his head for them to follow and walked out. 

“We’ll be down as soon as we’ve changed,” Bright called out. 

JT didn’t bother to respond, already running through his mind how he was going to describe this to Tally. 

\-----------------------

Dani and Bright soon followed. Scanning them up and down, JT couldn’t resist raising an eyebrow at Dani, who stared levelly back, never blinking. JT smothered a chuckle and blinked first, turning to look at Gil. 

“Powell, report.” 

She nodded at Gil’s order, “Vanessa followed me to the designated location where I met Garcia. Rather than leave, she hung around outside. Surveillance said it looked like she was casing the building. We wanted to see what she’d do if we left, so Garcia and I headed out after about a half hour. We went to a boutique to find something for her style emergency.” 

JT couldn’t help but smile a bit at Dani’s tone, as it betrayed her true thoughts about a style issue being an emergency. 

“Vanessa followed us, taking pictures. Surveillance was able to tail her. Said it looked like she was pointing the phone mostly at me when Garcia and I split up in the store. She hung outside for maybe 10 minutes taking pictures then left. Surveillance followed. She went to her townhome and hasn’t left since.” 

Chief Haze nodded, “It looks like they’re taking the bait. Well done detective.” Dani’s mouth curved in a small smile at the praise. Chief Haze continued, “Jim?” 

Jim stood up, “Vanessa Anderson. She is the heir of the Kyler fortune. Her father was Wilson Anderson, CEO of Kyler Industries. Not much is known about her. Her public footprint is fairly small, very little social media postings, she’s not on the board of anything, not much in the gossip columns except two scandals.” 

Bright visibly perked up, “We love scandals.” 

Jim’s lips quirked, “I figured you might. The scandals really involved her father. When Vanessa was ten, Wilson exiled his wife to a small Greek island. Even though technically Vanessa’s mom was the original heir, after they married, he took over the business and fortune. The rumors said her exile was because she failed to produce a male heir. She’s reported to have several miscarriages after Vanessa’s birth.” 

Jim took a deep breath, not bothering to hide how appalled he felt, “The idea they were rumors is being generous. Wilson Anderson was apparently quite vocal about his reasons at some high society clubs. The second scandal is that he ended up on a list of business men rumored to have gotten violent with mistresses. The list was given to a gossip blog. I couldn’t find any calls to law enforcement.”

Bright hummed thoughtfully, “Well, that sounds familiar. He was blatant about the preference for a male heir?” 

After Jim nodded his confirmation, Bight turned to Gil. He seemed to catch himself and, instead, turned more fully to Chief Haze. One of JT’s eyebrows rose at Bright’s show of respect for chain of command. He caught Dani’s eye, giving her a slightly shocked and impressed look. She pursed her lips, nodding in pleased agreement. _Maybe we’re starting to be a good influence on him?_

Bright voice cut into his thoughts, “Sir, I recommend we get a copy of Wilson Anderson’s will. My guess is there will be several rather enlightening conditions involving Vanessa.” 

Chief Haze gave Bright a measured look, “What are you thinking?” 

“I’m not sure yet. There are a couple possibilities. I need to research Wilson. He’s triggering thoughts of Carl. Vanessa may have found someone who reminds her of her father. It could be he has gotten control over her in various ways. But…” Bright considered his words carefully, “You all have mentioned feeling like something is off. I’m wondering if that’s Vanessa. She could play more of a role than we realize.” 

JT rocked a bit on his heels, thinking, “Could be. We had no idea Vanessa was anything other than a potential target until now.” 

Bright stared off into the distance at nothing. It was a gaze JT still found creepy. His eyes darted to look at Dani who simply waited, staring at Bright. JT glanced around. Everyone seemed to be taking their cue from her, silence settling on the group. 

After a beat or two, Bright shook himself, “I need more information to build my profile.” 

“Then we’ll get you the information we can,” Chief Haze responded. Bright startled, seemingly shocked that he wasn’t getting pushback from someone outside the team. 

Sensing a pause, JT added his report, “There’s one more point of interest. I dug further into Carl’s past. He was briefly in foster care. I petitioned to get his childhood records. They should be granted soon.” Bright nodded and leaned against a side table, lost in his musings.

“Darling, please don’t use 15th century furniture as a resting place,” Jessica said, her tone sad and distracted as she reached for the cup of tea her maid dropped off. She turned to look at a small portrait, tension in her body. 

The cop in JT noted her posture, and he couldn’t help but analyze. _Older gentleman, modern dress, probably family. Grandfather? Something about the story of Vanessa’s family set Ms. Whitly off._

Bright shot her a considering glance, “Of course, Mother. Now may be a good time to eat and discuss how to keep the charity event story going. Perhaps we could have some actual funds start to move? We should have the Milton Foundation use this to do some good.”

Jessica turned back to the group, face alight, “Yes, let’s discuss that. I can have the foundation begin their research on nonprofits and their programming tomorrow. We’ll need time to do an impact analysis. Flooding a nonprofit with too many funds all at once can bypass what they can actually manage well and do some harm. If they are small, we’ll need to do strategically timed payouts.” 

Jessica approached Chief Haze in a flurry of activity, poised yet purposeful, reminding JT of his old commanding officers but with far better manners. She ushered him graciously towards the table set up with various plates of finger foods, “We should select a cause that Anita and Elizabeth would highly value. Can you please tell me about them?”

Dani caught his eye as she passed by on her way to the table. JT cocked his head slightly in question. _What was that about?_ She shrugged. He glanced at Bright next, who shared an amused look with his sister, before looking over at JT. He jerked his head in an abrupt, approving nod. _No clue what that was about, but well done._

\--------------------------

Ainsley sighed softly. She could feel frustration and impatience dancing along the edges of her mind. The van was crowded; Carl had picked up Dani for their date about ten minutes ago. It seemed like everyone was involved, watching and waiting to see it all play out. Ainsley eyed the other van inhabitants. 

There was an air of anticipation, making the atmosphere heavy, charged. Her mind’s eye conjured up the image of a storm on the horizon. She shook her head at her own fancifulness. This was probably what her brother meant when he said police work was patience, anticipation warring with patience. 

She got it now; why Malcolm was so driven on cases. Hunting a story made her blood soar. She loved it when the pieces started to come together. It was addictive, making her feel… everything all at once. She could tell that the case was doing the same to him. 

But she was usually front and center during a story, not watching from the sidelines. It also didn’t normally require her to share her space with a ton of sweating guys in the crowded van. Ainsley’s gaze hit Gil and Chief Haze. And she usually didn’t have to take orders, or deal with the constant weight of their concerns for someone else. 

She didn’t see what the big deal was. Her brother had a hard time dealing with incompetence so, if he was enjoying being part of the team, then they were competent. Which meant Dani was competent. Which meant that all these people crowding her was unnecessary. Plus, it increased the likelihood of someone getting between her and the story. 

Ainsley closed her eyes for a second. She liked people generally, but liked her stories more. A manager once told her that she wasn’t a ‘team player.’ The implications that ‘team’ was always a good thing annoyed her. Still, everyone in the van was decent in their own way, and they’d come in handy in the future. She scanned around herself again. If they saw she was frustrated, they’d shut her out further. She quickly shoved the emotion back, compartmentalizing it with ease. They’d be fine with her impatience, chalking it up to her youth and natural giddiness. 

Her brother’s shoulder brushed hers. She glanced over, thinking he wanted to talk. He was staring intently at the monitors though, ignoring her. Still, he stood closer to her than necessary. Ainsley was about to ask him to give her some space, when she saw he was plucking at his sleeves. _Claustrophobic._ She tilted her head slightly. _Why is he standing even closer to me?_ She pondered the move, using it to keep herself occupied. _Is he worried about me? Did he want to feel safer? Is he totally unaware of how he’s impacting everyone else - going all absent-minded professor on me?_

She took a small step forward, getting a little closer to JT and giving Malcolm a little more breathing space. Ainsley threw him what she hoped was a commiserating look, but he remained utterly focused on the screens. 

“Uber is pulling up in a minute,” JT announced, drawing everyone’s attention. Dani had suggested an Italian restaurant to Carl who’d taken the bait. Apparently, the owner had a lot of family in the NYPD, and let them use the restaurant for small undercover jobs like this one all the time. As long as no trouble was expected, he didn’t even require them to have warrants to access his security cameras. So useful to know. She still felt giddy about the knowledge. 

Despite everything, Ainsley fully admitted to herself that this embed job was proving to be extraordinarily useful. New contacts, learning about surveillance, now this restaurant. She eyed Chief Haze. _If I really focus on the victims in the story, he’ll feel grateful to me. Maybe he can get me more embed jobs. Plus, mom would be happy._

Movement by JT drew her eye. He had headphones on, listening to the wire they had placed on Dani. Now, he slid the headphones off and flipped a switch. Suddenly, the naturally clumsy openings of a first date echoed around the van. Dani and Carl were transitioning from the awkward to the insightful though, as they walked into the restaurant and settled at the table hand-picked out by the owner. It had perfect visibility to the cameras. 

“So, tell me about your family Carl? Anyone live here in the city?” Dani smiled winningly. 

“My parents live in California. I’m an only child so no siblings, how about you?” Carl quickly shifted the topic back. 

Dani leaned back, lifting the menu, giving the elevator pitch of Kora’s family history. She turned their attention to the menu, “I’ve heard this place is amazing but have never been. What are you thinking of getting?” 

They listened as Carl gently teased Dani about eating carbs and having to work her extra hard in yoga. Ainsley rolled her eyes. 

“How about a bottle of red wine?” Carl suggested. 

“Oh, I don’t drink, but I don’t mind if others do, so go right ahead,” Dani smiled a bit sheepishly, looking at Carl through her eyelashes. 

“Oh, come on; loosen up,” Carl coaxed. 

Dani’s smile turned fully embarrassed, a blush creeping into her cheeks, “Oh no, thank you. I really don’t drink. Gets me in trouble.”

Carl’s smile turned into a smirk as he settled back in the chair, “Suite yourself.” The conversation continued along, settling into the normal pattern of a dinner date. Ainsley listened and watched intently, trying to see what her brother was seeing. Suddenly, it clicked. Carl was sitting a little straighter in the chair. He was asking a lot of questions but his voice seemed to be getting clipped. 

“Why is he getting upset?” Ainsley turned to her brother when Carl excused himself for the bathroom. Malcolm looked at her, pleased with her insight. 

“Dani and I talked strategy for their date. He’s trying to find out information, but she’s keeping it surface level. If this goes poorly in terms of getting leverage over Kora, Carl is going to get even more flustered. I want Carl to call in Vanessa to strategize. It’ll tell us the role she plays.” Malcolm gave her a smirk, his blue eyes dancing wickedly, “We’re drawing them out. Forcing their hand.” 

Ainsley smirked. This was turning out to be another perk. 

Others weren’t as open of a book to her as they were Malcolm, but she trusted her instincts. From achieving a certain measure of dominance in high school despite her father, to breaking open her stories, she could tell enough, pick up enough, to see where, if she pushed or prodded in a variety of ways, she could get what she wanted. Add all her research and investigation notes and she was set. 

But her brother maneuvered suspects like chess pieces, playing a complex game. It was fun to watch and, given how she felt when she succeeded in getting her way, probably electrifying to do. Her mom always dismissed the intricacies of profiling as a combination of her brother’s nerdiness and trauma, but she was seeing just how useful reading others in a systematic way could be. _If I learn basic profiling techniques, I’ll get more insights._

Carl came back from the restrooms, seemingly reinvigorated. Ainsley felt her attention sharpen. “He’s up to something,” she said. 

Malcolm nodded, “Tell the others in the restaurant to keep an eye out. He’s too happy.” JT checked the coms. There were two officers dressed as a couple near Dani and Carl. He quickly put them on notice. 

It felt like everyone leaned in and held a collective breath, but the minutes ticked by, a waiter bringing two small individual teapots the only interruption. 

Eventually, the adrenaline of the moment dissipated. Ainsley shook her head, frustration settling into her gut. _We weren’t wrong. He was all weird. What the hell?_

“JT, can you check on Vanessa? I bet he made a call in the bathroom.” 

JT paused a moment, asking for an update, “No movement from the house in hours.” 

Malcolm brought a hand up to cup his chin, eyes intently focused on the screen, “This is about control…” Malcolm paused, thinking it through, “Let’s have a uni knock on the door. Make up an excuse.” JT caught Chief Haze’s nod and started radioing into the units outside Vanessa’s house. 

Ainsley, meanwhile, watched as Dani refilled her tea, “What are you thinking?” 

Blue eyes moved over the screen systematically, “Carl is drawing this out. He’s calm and relaxed, no longer asking his questions. They already have a Plan B underway.” 

Jim piped up, “We have a car watching Dani’s safe house. I’ll have them keep a look out. Maybe they’ll break in looking for material.”

Malcolm nodded, glancing over distractedly, “Good thought.” 

Suddenly, JT yanked the headphones off, frustration pinching his face, “Vanessa’s gone.” 

Gil leaned forward in his chair, “What?” 

JT swiveled to face them, “Unis just knocked on the Vanessa’s door. No answer. They think she’s gone.” 

“Shit,” Jim ran a hand over his head.

Ainsley hesitated, looking at her brother. He was tense but not as concerned, “Mal?” 

Malcolm shook his head, frustrated. He leaned back against the van wall, one leg bent, foot pressing against the wall, thinking hard, “This is about control. Vanessa is at the restaurant – either because she’s the boss and controlling the moves or she’s a pawn and Carl wants her there. We just have to –” 

Malcolm cut himself off, cocking his head. Ainsley scrunched her face at his odd look, “Malcolm, you look like you’re –”

He waved a hand impatiently for her to be silent, “Shush.” Annoyed, Ainsley couldn’t help but share a look with JT at her brother’s high handedness. Regardless, the van stilled, the voices of Carl and Dani talking over tea the only sounds.

A look of fury crossed Malcolm’s face. His leg kicked out behind him, denting the metal of the van wall. Everyone jumped, despite themselves. Malcolm looked up, eyes flashing, “Something is wrong with the cadence of Dani’s voice. She’s been drugged.” 

Everyone startled again, staying silent as JT quickly increased volume to the audio feed. Adjusting the cameras, he zoomed in to get a clearer look at Dani’s face. 

Ainsley leaned forward alongside everyone else, watching and listening intently. Carl leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. A small, unpleasant smirk danced across his face as he asked his first probing question since dinner ended, “So, Kora, you mentioned going through a hard time a year ago and that yoga was helping. Can you tell me about it? 

Dani blinked slowly, gazing at Carl for a long minute, obviously searching for words. The quick wit, the ready responses were gone. She shook her head slightly, her curls gently swaying. Blinking again, she answered softly, “It involved a client. Or rehab. I forget. Maybe both?” 

Ainsley watched as the blood drained from Gil’s face, “Her cover is about to be blown.” 

“It was the tea,” Ainsley shifted from foot to foot. _What’s with bad guys and tea?_ “What do we do?” Ainsley asked, while her brother tried to get past the others to leave the van.

JT jumped up, glaring at Malcolm, using his size to block the exit, “We come up with a plan and don’t go barreling in.” 

For a moment, Ainsley wondered if Malcolm was about to hit JT to get him out of the way. Everyone was always underestimating her brother’s fighting skills. Quickly though, JT turned to Jim, “Ask Parsons and Stevens to get up to leave right now. Have Parsons spill something on Dani when they do and walk her to the bathroom. Buys us some time and gets her backup.” JT said the last sentence to Malcolm, who nodded reluctantly. Her brother visibly schooled his expression, tension radiating out of his body, his left hand beginning to shake. She swallowed in sympathy as he hid it in his pocket before Jim could see. 

Chief Haze began barking out orders, “Have Parsons get Powell out through the kitchen.” Haze eyed Malcolm up and down, “You and Gil meet them out back and get her to the hospital. Tell the lab to run her blood ASAP. Find out what they used. Gil, stay with her in case they make another move, but,” Haze continued to pin Malcolm with his stare, “I want you back at the precinct.”

Malcolm opened his mouth but Haze cut him off, “We get them tonight. I want you in the interrogation room.” Malcolm jerked his head in agreement. “JT, grab the security footage and go through it immediately. Get warrants for whoever did this. We let Carl leave and take us to Vanessa. Jim, organize the tail.”

“What about me?” Ainsley asked. She knew they’d dismiss her before she opened her mouth, but now, when she did the plan that was already formulating in her mind, she could say that she at least tried.   
Sure enough, JT just raised an eyebrow at her, “You’re staying put.” 

Ainsley let her mouth fall into a pout just enough for everyone who wasn’t Malcolm to buy it. He just threw her his best 'don’t freak mom out too badly' look as he left the van with the others. Soon, she was left with only Chief Haze, whose eyes never wavered from the screen, concern etched in his posture.

Ainsley bit back a laugh as the couple seated next to Dani suddenly stood, spilling their drink and cutting off Carl’s follow up question. Ainsley smiled, appreciating the symmetry from the coffee shop. _Tea and drink spilling. I didn’t realize that people pulled from such repetitive tactics. I bet that’s a part of profiling too. Know what common tactics people use and you can spot them. Useful for any profession. God, this is great. I need to research that._

Ainsley slowly inched towards the van door as the spectacle played out on the monitors. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Chief Haze asked, not bothering to look up. 

Ainsley paused, surprised he noticed, “You’re going to make arrests, which means I need to start organizing with my producers immediately for tomorrow morning breaking announcement.” She let her expression exclude both innocence and impatience, “I may be an embed, but I still have a job to do.” 

Chief Haze turned to look at her, his gaze unimpressed with her dictate, “Alright.” 

Ainsley shifted, satisfaction sweeping her. Turning, she reached of the handle of the door, when Chief Haze’s voice cut in again, “You should know, I’ve worked with a ton of embeds during my career. I’ve pretty much memorized the paperwork and rules of conduct. Break them, and you’ll find I’m less patient and understanding than Arroyo.” 

A small seed of fury lodged right in her chest, but Ainsley simply threw a small smile over her shoulder at him, “Well then, it’s a good thing that I’m not planning anything, now am I?” 

\--------------------- 

Ainsley pulled out her phone as she left the van, making a show of calling her producers until she turned the corner. The moment the van was out of sight, she sprinted, trying to find the shared alleyway that split so many New York blocks. _Sure enough._

Ainsley waited a beat for a couple to finish getting into a taxi down the street, before creeping into the alley, trying to avoid where the lights shown. Her brother and Gil were hurrying into place at the opposite end, coming to stop behind the restaurant’s rear exit, near the kitchen’s dumpster. She made her way forward, trying to find a good angle for shots. Pictures were allowed, given prior approval to publishing. Video was not. _Note to self, next time negotiate for a photographer to embed with me._

Getting as close as she dared, she crouched down, phone at the ready. After only a minute, the kitchen door popped open. Ainsley watched as Malcolm and Gil simultaneously leapt forward towards Dani and Parsons. 

Dani stumbled slightly as Gil and Malcolm each grabbed an arm. Parsons quickly began explaining what she’d noticed, “Sir, she seems ok. Her pulse is normal and she’s not distressed, but it’s taking a couple minutes for things to click.”

Sure enough, Dani’s voice suddenly echoed down the alleyway, too loud given the whispered conversations around her, “Gil, Bright, I’m not supposed to see you till later at Ms. Whitly’s. Why are you here?” She looked around a little, curls bouncing, “Why am I here? Oh, hi Parsons.” 

Parsons smiled despite herself, “Hi Dani - again. Gil and Bright are going to take you to the hospital.” 

It was the wrong thing to say. Ainsley could see the shift come over Dani, “Why? What’s wrong?” Anxiety started flooding her voice. Dani tried to pull away from both men and started stumbling towards the end of the alley, “Where’s JT? Is it Edrisa?” 

Her brother’s voice, soft yet firm, sounded reassuring, as he moved to intercept Dani, “Everyone’s fine. We think something was in your tea and just want to get your blood drawn. Everything is fine. You did great.” 

Dani stopped, the camera catching her blinks as she tried to process what was happening, “What about Carl? Is the case over?” 

“Speaking of,” Gil’s voice gentled, as he once again moved next to Dani, reaching for her purse, “Parsons, text Carl using Kora’s phone. She’s not feeling well and, given everything, she took an Uber home. It may or may not save the cover; we’ll see how he responds.” Gil began ushering Dani forward as Parsons began rummaging through her purse. He stopped, throwing a look over his shoulder, “Oh, and good work Parsons. Glad you and Stevens were there.” Parsons smiled with pride, pulling out the phone to text Carl, pretending to be Kora. 

Ainsley took a couple more pictures of everyone dispersing before turning to make her way back to the street. Carl had used Uber to get to the restaurant so he would either walk or Uber to wherever Vanessa was. She would need the ability to follow a car without the being caught. Ainsley pulled her phone back out, “Adolpho, I’m going to send you a location pin, and I need you to pick me up. Thanks!”   
Time passed slowly, adrenaline making her bounce slightly as she waited. She was trying to stay close enough to the restaurant to see Carl’s movements, but far enough away that Chief Haze and Jim wouldn’t see her. It was a balance, and she wasn’t quite sure she was making the right moves. _I wonder if there are people who’d give civilians classes in surveillance for a price. If I know all that, I could take on stories that would get me onto the desk in heartbeat._

She smiled as Adolpho pulled up, just as Carl left the restaurant, phone out. _Uber it is._ Ainsley hopped into the car, explaining to Adolpho that they would need to follow Carl’s Uber. “Oh, and Carl will also have a police tail that we can’t be seen by.” 

His body seemed to still for only a moment before his shoulders lifted in a small shrug, “Sure thing, Ms. Whitly.”

She settled back against the seat as the car moved forward, keeping a steady distance from the police. Eventually, Carl turned off into a car mechanic shop; the nondescript police car stopping on the far side of the garage. 

Adolpho kept going, driving right past. “What are you doing?” Ainsley asked, alarmed.

“I’ll pull around the side of the block. If you really don’t want the guy in the Uber or the police to see you, you’ll have to approach from behind.” 

Adolpho sounded both calm and resigned. Ainsley cocked her head, “That makes sense. Thanks.” She waited a beat or two, “How did you know that?” 

He shrugged again, “I used to be in the military.” 

Ainsley pursed her lip, thoughtfully, “That’s good to know. Think you could teach me about tailing people?” 

Adolpho caught her eye in the rear-view mirror, “No, your mother would kill me… but I do know a guy.” 

_This day is getting better and better._ She smiled brightly at him as he parked half a block away, “Good to know. Wait here?” 

“Of course, Ms. Whitly.” 

Ainsley opened the door of the car, the cold air and smell of oil hitting her at once. A large chain link fence with barbed wire rimmed the business’ property; cars in various levels of disarray peppered the back lot. Trying again to stay in the shadows and avoid the street lights, Ainsley moved forward until she found a side window. Too high to see into, she scanned for leverage. 

Pulling some crates into position, she kicked off her heels and began climbing up. Wobbling for a second, she was able to just peer into the garage. Carl was in there with another man, his blue coveralls open halfway revealing black pants and white shirt. The new guy looked a bit familiar but Ainsley couldn’t place him. 

Pulling out her phone, she began taking pictures. It looked like a heated argument, with Carl occasionally pushing the man to reiterate a point. _Nothing too crazy, but this guy is definitely in on it._ A broad smile uncurled across her face as she remembered that Anita and Elizabeth’s car had been tampered with causing the accident that killed them. _I am totally going to break this story wide open._

Ainsley thought through the terms of the embed. She wasn’t allowed to interfere with the police investigation; she was only allowed to observe. _Running with the footage now before the arrests occur would be interference… It may be worth it, though. I need to talk to my producers._

Chief Haze’s blunt warning echoed in her mind. That small seed of fury began to sprout. _If I give this to the cops and stick to the plan of writing after the arrests, I can use the timestamps to prove I’m the one who gave the police the evidence they needed. If I also write empathizing with the victims, I look like the queen of investigative reporting and the person everyone wants to be friends with. That combo will get me on the desk permanently._

Chief Haze’s statement needled at her. _Screw having him help me with more embeds. I can legitimately make them look like idiots. They let their own detective get drugged and had to scramble. I stayed cool and caught the killer._ The plan cemented as she thought it through. _Malcolm will be beyond angry, but he always forgives me eventually. Mom will make him._

She put her phone away as Carl and the mystery man moved to take a call in the garage’s office, closing the door. Carefully, she turned on the top crate, inching her way down the stack. It took longer than she wanted, but the noise and the fall would have alerted someone to her presence. It was risk she couldn’t take right now.

Quickly pulling on her heels, she moved to where Adolpho waited. Her phone buzzing with a text in her pocket. Turning the small corner, she jerked back in surprise. 

Parsons and Chief Haze stood, arms crossed, blocking her way. Ainsley’s stomach fell. Pulling out her phone, she realized the buzz had been a warning text from Adolpho. _Ug._

Tossing her hair back and straightening her spine, she smiled at Chief Haze, “Can I help you?” 

Chief Haze smiled, “Why don’t you join us at the precinct?”

Ainsley’s lips quirked sarcastically, “I thought we were all going to reconvene at my mother’s?” 

His eyes hardened, “The precinct will do.” 

_Damn it._

**Author's Note:**

> Characters and such are owned by Fox and definitely not me


End file.
